DefinePK

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety (PDA) amongundergraduate medical students including both males and females studying ina public university and to see whether an association exists between the academicyear of study and the PDA.Methodology: A cross-sectional study, using a self-administered, structured,validated questionnaire, was conducted on a total of 325 medical students selectedthrough convenience sampling technique at Dow Medical College. Anenglish version of the AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIONSCALE (AKUADS) was used for evaluating the prevalence of depression andanxiety with inclusion of basic personal information of the students.Results: With a 100% response rate and a cutoff score of 20, 36.3% (118 outof 325) of the sampled population was found to be at risk of anxiety and depression.There was no significant association of depression and anxiety withgender and academic year of study but there was a significant association ofdepression and anxiety with positive family history.Conclusion: Medical students in university of Karachi are at risk of depressionand anxiety with positive family history acting as an add-on factor.