A Study on Prevalence of Anxiety and their associated socio-demographic variables among undergraduate medical students in a South Indian Medical College

Abstract

Medical education is highly challenging and often places heavy demands
on the mental health of the students. Anxiety presents itself as an impending sense of danger, a
reaction to a real or imaginary threat. Some level of Anxiety is essential for performance in any kind of
an individual, but when it exceeds beyond certain threshold it impairs the efficiency of
them.OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of Anxiety and their associated socio- demographic
variables among undergraduate medical college students in a South-Indian Medical College, by using
Hamilton Anxiety Rating scale and a Semi- structured Proforma respectively.STUDY DESIGN Crosssectional
study.STUDY PERIODThree months MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY Hamilton Anxiety
Rating scale was used to assess the prevalence of Anxiety among 200 Undergraduate medical
students in a south Indian medical college. Association between Anxiety and variables like - sex,
academic year, family problems, physical illness and staying away from home were analysed by a
Semi- structured Proforma. Students were selected by random sampling method.RESULTS The
overall prevalence of Anxiety was found to be 49.5 .Among those with Anxiety, a majority had
moderate degree of anxiety(40).This study showed that 58.7 were females and 37.2 were males .The
prevalence of Anxiety was comparatively high among first year medical students (80) and the
correlation between the prevalence of Anxiety and sex, academic year ,staying in hostel, physical
illness were found to be statistically significant.CONCLUSIONAnxiety is highly prevalent among
medical students and the study points to the importance of broad screening with psychiatric
counselling for this vulnerable population.