Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Self-Reported Ongoing Medication Use Among Pharmacy Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest. Pharmacy students exhibit a relatively high prevalence of depressive symptoms, which may negatively impact quality of life, academic performance, and, in severe cases, lead to suicidal ideation. Given the increasing trend of medication use among young adults, we hypothesized that this behavior may be associated with depressive symptoms, potentially reflecting attempts to manage concurrent physical symptoms or reduced psychological well-being. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the association between depressive symptoms and medication use among pharmacy students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students enrolled in pharmacy-related programs from University Center for Exact Sciences and Engineering (CUCEI), University of Guadalajara. Participants completed a personalized questionnaire assessing sociodemographic variables, medication use, comorbid conditions, and depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics. Categorical variables were reported as frequencies and percentages and compared using the chi-square test. Continuous variables were summarized as means and standard deviations and compared using Student t-test. To evaluate factors associated with moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms, logistic regression and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed. Results: A total of 365 students completed our personalized questionnaire; nearly half of the sample (47.3%) presented moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. Multivariable analyses showed that insufficient sleep, academic stress, psychological support, and the number of medications used simultaneously were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Logistic regression identified being in a relationship and receiving psychological support for at least one year as protective factors, while employment, insufficient sleep, academic stress, and a greater number of concomitant medications were associated with increased odds of moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. Conclusions: A modest association was observed between self-reported medication use and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms among pharmacy students. These findings suggest that medication use patterns may warrant further investigation as a potential marker of depressive symptoms in pharmacy students. Future longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the nature and direction of this association and to determine whether medication use could contribute to the identification of students at increased risk of depression.