High levels of depression and anxiety among Croatian medical and nursing students and the correlation between subjective happiness and personality traits

Abstract

High levels of stress, anxiety, and depression are commonly reported among medical students. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms among medical and nursing students at the University of Osijek, Croatia and their relation to subjective happiness and personality traits. This cross-sectional study included a total of 562 students. To assess the levels of depression and anxiety, the PHQ-9 (The Patient Health Questionnaire), GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder), SHS (Subjective Happiness Scale), and IPIP Big-5 questionnaires were used. A very high prevalence of both anxiety (54.5%) and depressive (60.2%) symptoms was found among medical and nursing students. Subjective happiness most strongly correlated with emotional stability and extraversion, also emotional stability correlated negatively with anxiety and depression. Nursing students scored higher on subjective happiness and in the domain of conscientiousness, but lower on depression. The differences in depression and anxiety could not be attributed to personality traits. Although the reported symptoms were mostly mild in intensity, we believe that this represents a significant public mental health concern. Appropriate measures should be taken to motivate students to seek help for their symptoms and to increase the availability of mental health services for students.