Publication:

Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among medical undergraduate students of a Medical College in Central India: a cross-sectional study

Background Depression, anxiety, and stress are common psychological problems among medical students and may adversely affect their academic performance and overall well-being. Medical training involves substantial academic pressure and lifestyle changes that predispose students to psychological distress. The present study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress and assess their association with selected personal characteristics among undergraduate medical students.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 210 undergraduate medical students of a Government Medical College in Central India from September to November 2025. Data were collected using a pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Associations between depression, anxiety, stress, and selected personal characteristics were assessed using the Chi-square test, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 47.1%, 61.0%, and 26.7%, respectively. Depression was significantly associated with satisfaction with education (χ²=6.26, p=0.044). Anxiety showed significant associations with gadget use (χ²=14.2, p=0.003) and substance use (χ²=5.30, p=0.021). Stress was significantly associated with year of study (χ²=12.4, p=0.006), satisfaction with education (χ²=15.8, p<0.001), sleeping duration (χ²=15.3, p<0.001), and water consumption (χ²=10.3, p=0.006).

Conclusions Nearly half of the medical students experienced depression, more than half had anxiety, and about one-fourth had stress. Depression was significantly associated with educational satisfaction, anxiety with gadget use and substance use, and stress with year of study, educational satisfaction, sleep duration, and water consumption. Strengthening mental health promotion through regular screening, counselling services, healthy lifestyle practices, and academic support programmes may help improve the psychological well-being of medical students.