Prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among dental students: A cross sectional study

Background: Depression is a common mental health problem which affects all strata of life. As a result of the increase in competitiveness, there is a need to pay attention toward the presence and level of depression among students. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the depressive symptoms and its associated factors among clinical dental students in Bengaluru city. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among third and final years dental students ( n = 200) randomly selected from four dental colleges in Bengaluru city. Materials and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess depressive symptoms using Beck’s Depression Inventory. Statistical Analysis Used: Association of depression with non-academic and academic factors was assessed using the Chi-square test. Student’s t -test was used to compare mean depression scores among study years. P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The prevalence of depression was found to be 49%. Significantly higher proportion of females (57.0%) had depression compared to males (43.0%) ( P = 0.04). Mean depression score was higher among final year dental students (16.10 ± 9.76) compared to third year (13.77 ± 6.85) ( P = 0.05). Level of severity of depression was significantly associated with the year of study ( P < 0.001). Among non-academic and academic factors; the problem with friends, medical illness, and lack of interest in the course, fear of failure, respectively, was significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: Depression was evident considerably among dental students. The prevalence of depression was higher among females and final year students.