Rates of depression, anxiety and stress among nursing students and medicine of Acre

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Currently there is a great concern of society, regarding the increase in the number of students with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, especially within universities, due to several factors and among them stand out the overload of studies and the need for the adoption of a new lifestyle. OBJECTIVE: This article aimed to evidence rates of depression, anxiety and stress among students of nursing and medical courses in a university center in Acre. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative study, developed with 80 students of medical and nursing courses. RESULTS: Most of the students were female, were single, from Acre, lived with other people, had never undergone psychotherapy or psychiatric treatment. Also did not use medications to improve academic performance. Regarding the mean symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress among the students evaluated, those in the nursing course had the highest mean symptoms of depression and anxiety and those in the medical course plus stress symptoms. When compared by semesters, the students of the first semester of nursing presented more symptoms depression and anxiety and those in the eighth semester of medicine presented more stress. CONCLUSIONS: The mental health of students may be at risk, which evidences the need to implement a political-pedagogical project by the educational institution, focused on this theme, presenting strategies to face this reality, aimed at the well-being of this population.