Conceptualization of Depression among Medical Students and Its Differences during Medical Education

The definition of mental disorders has been traditionally a matter of discussion, and it has relevant implications in research and healthcare. Our aim was to explore the conceptualization medical students have of depression and to determine differences across academic years. The Maudsley Attitudes Questionnaire was adapted through a double translation, double back-translation and a preliminary validation, obtaining a Spanish edition. All students of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zaragoza and doctors who graduated from this University in 2020 were invited to answer the online questionnaire, and we received 222 answers (response rate: 15.2%). The results were compared by years and levels of education using an ANOVA. The social realist, behavioral, biological, cognitive and psychodynamic models were the most endorsed. The psychodynamic and nihilist models were less embraced by students in later educational years. These students also reported greater confidence in their understanding of depression and of its biological, cognitive and behavioral models. In conclusion, the conceptualization of depression among medical students is complex and multidimensional, and appears to be similar across different years of education. In later years, we found less support for the psychodynamic model, increased confidence in psychiatry and greater ease in handling the concepts of its leading models.