ABSTRACT

The sixth grade of medical school is a true preparatory stage for the physicians. This places the physician candidates at stress before the emergency medicine (EM) internship and can lead to anxiety and depression. The present study is the first study to investigate depression, anxiety, and stress levels of sixth-grade medical students before and after the EM internship.

This is a prospective study,which is conducted on sixth-grade medical students. Anxiety, depression, and stress scores were assessed on the first and last day of the EM internship. The Beck depression and Beck anxiety scales and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-42 (DASS-42) were used. Overall, 131 sixth-grade medical students who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study.

The mean Beck depression score was 10.15±6.11 on the first day of internship and 6.37±4.79 on the last day of internship. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean Beck anxiety score was 9.02±7.25 on the first day of internship and 4.69±4.85 on the last day of internship. The difference in Beck Anxiety score was statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean DASS-42 scores were 23.91±14.35 on the first day and 15.31±12.13 on the last day. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05).

Sixth-grade medical students showed high scores on stress, anxiety, and depression scales before the EM internship, which is due to various reasons. However, as many causative factors disappear at the end of the internship and also as they experience the benefits of the EM internship, these scores drop on the last day of the internship.

Keywords: Anxiety, depression, intern doctors