Introduction: The aim of the study is to determine the changes in
psychological distress and depressive symptoms of medical students in
the first two years of their education process, in comparison with other
faculty students.
Methods: All first-year students in the Faculties of Medicine, Economics
and Sport Sciences were asked to fill out a detailed self-reported
questionnaire aimed at measuring possible stressful life events and
habits, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Beck Depression
Inventory (BDI) during the first week of their first semester in 2017–2018.
This process was repeated to the same students again in the second year,
and the change was examined prospectively.
Results: The GHQ-12 score average increased from 11.19 to 13.7 in medical
students (p<0.001). The prevalence of psychological distress increased
from 53.8% to 61.8%. The BDI score average was 8.04 in the beginning
and reached 10.1 in the second year (p<0.001). Depressive symptom
prevalence increased from 8.8% to 19.5%. No significant increase was
observed in the GHQ-12, BDI score average, depressive symptoms, and
psychological distress prevalence of other faculty students. The incidence
of depressive symptoms in medical students was 15.9%. As a result of
multivariate analysis, “dissatisfaction with social activities” and “exposure
to psychological pressure and violence” which were stressful life events
were statistically associated with both GHQ-12 and BDI.
Conclusion: It was determined that the mental health of the students
was negatively affected in the first year of medical school education. It is
recommended to raise awareness for medical students at risk of mental
illness and to plan interventions that will protect their mental health.
Keywords: Depression, prospective studies, psychological distress,
stressful life events, medical students