Chinese traditional cultural belief of medical students and its relationship with depression

Abstract

ObjectiveTo study the cultural beliefs of medical students and its relationship with depression.MethodA questionnaire survey was conducted among 977 medical students using the Chinese Traditional Culture Belief Scale (CTCBS) and Nine Item-Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).ResultsThe total score of medical students' cultural belief was 48.34± 7.31, and 54.4% of them had clear cultural belief. Cultural belief did not differ significantly among the medical students with different genders, places of residence or economic status, but those with ideals and beliefs had significantly higher cultural belief than those without (48.87±7.40 vs 47.09±6.95, P < 0.001). Cultural belief was negatively correlated to depression among the medical students (r=-0.215, P < 0.001), and those with a high-level cultural belief had lower levels of depression (6.09±3.88 vs 7.42 ± 3.82 vs 9.00 ± 4.90, P < 0.001). The total and all the dimensions scores of CTCBS of the students without depressive symptoms were significantly higher than those in students with depressive symptoms. The medical students with lower cultural beliefs had a higher positive rate for depression screening (37.8% vs 18.8% vs 12.2%).ConclusionMedical students have a high level of cultural beliefs. Strong culture beliefs are beneficial to relieve depression symptoms and reduce the incidence rate of depression. Chinese traditional culture education should be strengthened in the quality education of medical students.