The prevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students in Yemen: A cross-sectional study

Background: Medical students may experience mental health disorders like anxiety and depression during medical school, which can negatively impact their productivity, education, and overall quality of life. Currently, there are no studies examining the mental health of medical students in Yemen. Our study aimed to estimate prevalence of depression and anxiety among Yemeni medical students. Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional design. A survey was conducted using validated psychometric tests: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety. A survey of medical students from 10 Yemeni medical schools took place from June 6 to July 20, 2023. It included only actively enrolled students in the 7-year undergraduate program. Results: A total of 706 responses were collected. The prevalence of depression was 48.4 % for cases classified as moderate, moderately severe, and severe, while it was 20 % for cases categorized as moderately severe and severe. The rate of suicide ideation was 14.7 %. Anxiety was found to have a prevalence of 34.8 % for cases categorized as moderate and severe. Furthermore, both depression and anxiety were higher among females, and in earlier academic years; all of these associations had a p-value <0.05. Conversely, age, living status, income stability, and displacement risk all showed no significant association with depression or anxiety. Conclusion: Our study highlighted the prevalence of depression and anxiety among Yemeni medical students. Tailored interventions are imperative to address these challenges. Future research needs to examine the root causes that might contribute to these disorders.