A study on depression & its determinants among undergraduate medical students from coastal south India

Background: Depression is known to occur among medical undergraduates. There are no reported studies to explore depression & its correlates among medical undergraduates from India. So this study was undertaken. Materials and Method: This is a questionnaire based cross sectional study conducted in Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. All the students of the college were considered for the study. Depression was assessed & graded using Beck's Depression Inventory II. In addition to basic socio-demographic information, information related to family, sources of stress & adverse life events were collected. Participation in the study was voluntary. Analysis: Chi-Square test was used to know if the observed difference in proportions were statistically significant. Determinants of depression were obtained by Mulitple logistic regression which yeilded adjusted odds ratios with its 95% confidence intervals. Results: About 19.74% had depression. Mild depression was common (46.2%). Gender, academic year, place of residence & family problems did not have significant association with depression. Addictions, perceived stress due to academics, peer pressure had significant independent association with depression. Conclusion: Addictions, Percieved stress due to academics, Peer Pressure are important determinants of Depression among medical undergraduate students.