Assessment of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among the Undergraduate Physiotherapy Students

Abstract

Background: Today, psychological morbidities such as depression, anxiety and stress are most common psychiatrichealth issues worldwide. Stress in medical education especially among the undergraduate students has become aglobal phenomenon nowadays. According to WHO, depression is the most common mental disorder, characterisedby sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, low energy and poor concentration anddisturbance in sleep or appetite, Anxiety disorders are characterised by excessive fear and worry and relatedbehavioural disturbances and stress is defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.This study is important to identify the risk factors of depression, anxiety and stress among the undergraduatephysiotherapy students, as it affects their health as well as their academic achievements. The aim and objective ofthis study is to assess depression, anxiety and stress among the undergraduate physiotherapy students by usingDASS-21 scale.Methods: This is an observational study was conducted in a Physiotherapy College in Maharashtra. The totalduration of this study was 6 months from October 2022 to March 2023. Data was collected from 43 undergraduatephysiotherapy students from first year to fourth year by using a DASS-21 questionnaire.Conclusion: Psychological illness in the form of depression, anxiety and stress have been reported in substantialproportion of undergraduate. Depression has been reported in 76.74% of students, while anxiety and stresswere found in 86.05% and 83.72% respectively. Organized interventions should be initiated to prevent excessivepsychological illness among undergraduate physiotherapy students.