Mental health among pharmacy students, assessing predictors of clinically significant anxiety and depression: a cross-sectional study from Jordan

Anxiety and depression among health college students have received increasing attention in recent years. This study aimed to focus on assessing the prevalence and the associated factors of anxiety and depression among pharmacy students. This cross-sectional, self-administered, anonymous survey was conducted at the School of Pharmacy at the University of Jordan from January 2024 to October 2024. Formal Arabic translations and validated versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDII) were used for assessment. A total of 337 pharmacy students completed the survey. More than two-thirds (71.1%) of the students stated that their mental health worsened after entering pharmacy school. About 15% of the students sought medical help for mental health challenges, and 9.2% reported being diagnosed with a mental illness by a professional. In contrast, 42.6% of the students reported being self-diagnosed with a mental illness. Moreover, only 19.4% reported knowing their insurance covers psychiatric treatment. Analysis of the depression and anxiety categories revealed that approximately 40% of the students experienced moderate to severe depression and moderate to potentially concerning levels of anxiety. Students who self-diagnosed a mental illness had higher depression or anxiety scores than those who did not (p-value < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that female sex and lower grades were predictors of both depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms. The following factors were recognized by the majority of the students as affecting their mental health: academic workload, financial concerns, lack of motivation, loss of interest, lack of work‒life balance, and, most significantly, worries about the future and feelings of exhaustion. Significant levels of clinical depression and anxiety are prevalent among pharmacy students. The majority of students reported worsening in their mental state after enrolling in pharmacy school. However, a small percentage are seeking help or know that their insurance covers psychiatric disorders’ treatment. Females and students with lower grades are disproportionately impacted. Future research should focus on identifying strategies that administrators can adopt to alleviate and manage students’ mental health challenges.