The Prevalence and Impact of Depression Among Medical Students: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in South Korea

Purpose This nationwide cross-sectional study assessed the prevalence, possible risk factors, and impact of depression among Korean medical students. Method Of all medical students (14,095) registered in 41 medical schools in 2006 in South Korea, 7,357 (52.2%) completed the survey. Depression was measured using the patient-rated version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-PR). Data on academic functioning, and sociodemographic characteristics were also obtained. Results Current, one-year, and lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) were 2.9%, 6.5%, and 10.3%, respectively. Possible risk factors for one-year MDD were female gender, lower class years, admission track with exemption from entrance exam, living alone at a lodging house or a rented room, and financial difficulty (P < .05). The grade point averages (GPAs) of students with MDD were significantly lower than those of nondepressed students for both semesters (t = 3.8, P < .001; t = 4.8, P < .001). The odds ratio of students with MDD of receiving a GPA below 2.0 was 1.8 (CI 1.4-2.4) as compared with nondepressed students. Conclusions This study demonstrated that Korean medical students experience depression frequently. It also highlighted the possible risk factors of MDD among medical students and pervasive association of depression with poor functioning.Goebert D, 2009, ACAD MED, V84, P236Roh MS, 2009, MED EDUC, V43, P133, DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2008.03255.xShah AA, 2009, SUBST ABUS, V30, P141, DOI 10.1080/08897070902802067Chang SM, 2008, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V106, P159, DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2007.07.023Cho MJ, 2007, J NERV MENT DIS, V195, P203, DOI 10.1097/01.nmd.0000243826.40732.45DAHLIN ME, 2007, BMC MED EDUC, V7, P6Dyrbye LN, 2006, ACAD MED, V81, P354Dyrbye LN, 2005, MAYO CLIN PROC, V80, P1613Tjia J, 2005, J AM COLL HEALTH, V53, P219CHIU E, 2004, AUSTRALAS PSYCHIAT S, V12, pS4Kessler RC, 2003, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V289, P3095Givens JL, 2002, ACAD MED, V77, P918Wear D, 2002, ACAD MED, V77, P271Tyssen R, 2001, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V64, P69Aktekin M, 2001, MED EDUC, V35, P12Stewart SM, 1999, MED EDUC, V33, P243Sheehan DV, 1998, J CLIN PSYCHIAT, V59, P22Lloyd C, 1997, J NERV MENT DIS, V185, P655Rosal MC, 1997, ACAD MED, V72, P542Weissman MM, 1996, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V276, P293Guthrie EA, 1995, MED EDUC, V29, P337HAFFERTY FW, 1994, ACAD MED, V69, P861CAMP DL, 1994, ACAD MED, V69, pS25MOSLEY TH, 1994, ACAD MED, V69, P765HOJAT M, 1993, ACAD MED, V68, P635SILVER HK, 1990, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V263, P527RICHMAN JA, 1990, SOC SCI MED, V30, P777VITALIANO PP, 1989, J NERV MENT DIS, V177, P70CLARK DC, 1988, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V260, P2521WOLF TM, 1988, J MED EDUC, V63, P636ZOCCOLILLO M, 1986, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V11, P91SCHULBERG HC, 1985, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V42, P1164LLOYD C, 1984, COMPR PSYCHIAT, V25, P552BECK AT, 1961, ARCH GEN PSYCHIAT, V4, P561