Prevalence of Depression among Medical Students studied at the Mental Health Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen, 2024

Export Objective: Medical students are particularly vulnerable to depression due to multiple factors. The aim of this study was mainly to estimate the prevalence of depression, more specifically to acknowledge factors associated with depression, and to learn about coping strategies for depression among medical students who are studying at the Mental Health Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen, 2024. Methods: A Descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was done in the Mental Health Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen, 2024. All students of the Faculty of Medicine were selected by using a nonprobability convenience sampling technique for the study conducted at the Mental Health Hospital. Data were collected using the Arabic version of Beck’s Depression Inventory and a predesigned structured self-administered questionnaire, including questions about the students’ sociodemographic characteristics and other factors. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 for Windows. Results: The overall prevalence was 73.67% (207), with 53.02% (149) having a mild to moderate degree of depression. The study showed that about 37.14% (104) of those with depression were female and about 36.43% (102) were male. According to the cut-off score 26% students (74) scored as normal (0–9), 29% students (82) scored as mild (10–15), 23.7% students (67) scored as moderate (16–23), 17% students (48) scored as severe (24–36), 3.5% students (10) scored as severe (major) (>36). The prevalence was significantly higher among those with family problems and a history of depression. Conclusions: In our study, depression is highly prevalent among medical students. Our findings stress the importance of broad screening and psychiatric counseling of this vulnerable population.