Hospital related anxiety, depression among medical students: A cross-sectional study from two Universities of Perak State, Malaysia

Introduction: Depression and anxiety are common mental health conditions among medical students due to the highly challenging and stressful environment. It is also associated with poor academic performance and quality of life. Therefore, we aim to determine the prevalence and associated factors of hospital-related anxiety and depression among medical students in Perak, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 274 medical students in the clinical posting. Hospital related anxiety and depression scale (HADS) was used to assess anxiety and depression symptoms. Results: The prevalence rates of anxiety and depression were 31.7% and 15.7%, respectively. Malay students suffered most from anxiety (14.2%), followed by Indian (12.4%) and Chinese students (4.7%). A significant association was observed between ethnicity and depression, where 7.3% of Indian students had the highest level of depression followed by Malay (6.9%) and Chinese students (1.5%). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that medical students experienced anxiety and depression during the clinical years. A recommendation for medical schools to implement screening for anxiety and depression to identify the higher risk students will offer a better way of preventing and treating anxiety and depression to improve students' well-being.