A Four-year Study of Anxiety, Depression, Loneliness, Social Support, and Perceived Mistreatment in Medical Students

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine anxiety, depression, loneliness, social support, and perceived mistreatment at 4 time points over the course of the 4 years of undergraduate medical education, beginning in 1991. Representative samples of medical students completed a battery of questionnaires at freshman orientation (111 of 189 students = 59 percent), end of the first year (114 of 182 students = 63 percent), end of the second year (96 of 189 students = 51 percent), and end of the fourth year (85 of 192 students = 44 percent). Depression and anxiety were highest at the end of the first year and lowest at the end of the fourth year. Perceived mistreatment, particularly of a psychological nature, was pervasive over the course of 4 years of medical education. Perceived mistreatment was significantly positively correlated with depression and anxiety at freshman orientation and at the end of the first year. The implications of these findings are discussed with a view to making reforms in medical education designed to enhance the professional and personal development of each student.