Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Romanian and International Medical Students: Relationship with Big-five Personality Dimensions and Social Support

Abstract

Background

A wide variety of countries are seeking to attract international medical students. International students are quite distinct from local students with respect to ethnicity, race, social and cultural norms, customs, nationality and physical appearance. Medical students are more predisposed to mental disorders, including depression due to several factors, such as: individual personality characteristics, chronic exposure to stressors from an occupation that deals with pain and death and trouble with the teaching-learning process. In the host country, international medical students meet a lot of stressful situations as: language barriers, academic demands, homesickness and lack of social support.

Aims

To evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in Romanian and international medical students studying medicine in Romania. To assess the relationship between symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression and big-five personality dimensions in medical students.

Methods

Overall, 230 first year medical students (90 from English section, 70 from French section and 70 from Romanian sections studying at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Hatieganu”, Romania, were evaluated for symptoms of anxiety and depression using the STAI and BDI and for personality using the NEO FFI.

Results

Symptoms of anxiety and symptoms of depression were prevalent in medical students (43% and 14%, respectively).

Conclusions

Symptoms of anxiety and depression are prevalent in medical students. Severity of symptoms of anxiety and symptoms of depression in medical students are negatively related to emotional stability. Special attention should be paid to those students who have high levels of depression and low levels of emotional stability.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.