Estresse, Ansiedade e Depressão e sua associação às condições sociodemográficas e vivências da Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Odontologia

Abstract

This study investigated the occurrence of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms in postgraduate students in Dentistry from Public Institutions in the North/Northeast of Brazil, and their association with sociodemographic conditions and postgraduate experiences. It was a cross-sectional study, with a sample of 367 postgraduate students who responded to two online questionnaires: a sociodemographic/academic experiences questionnaire and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 Items. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis of variables, followed by inferential statistics with the assistance of Pearson’s chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis was then performed to determine the magnitude of the associations. The significance level of the statistical tests was set at 5% (p < 0.05). Cronbach’s α coefficient was estimated at 0.943. The results indicated that the occurrences of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms were 52.9%, 53.1%, and 49.9%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that “having insecurity about future professional prospects” (stress symptoms – aOR: 1.60; CI: 1.60-5.70; p = 0.001; anxiety symptoms – aOR: 3.66; CI: 1.87-7.17; p <0.001; depression symptoms – aOR: 2.22; CI: 1.13-4.36; p = 0.021) and “having a history of prior mental disorder diagnosis” (stress symptoms – aOR: 1.84; CI: 1.15-2.94; p = 0.011; anxiety symptoms – aOR: 2.51; CI: 1.53-4.10; p <0.001; depression symptoms – aOR: 2.85; CI: 1.74-4.66; p <0.001) remained associated with all three outcomes. The variable “having postponed or cancelled any personal project due to postgraduate studies” remained associated only with stress symptoms (aOR: 1.66; CI: 1.04-2.65; p = 0.034) and depression symptoms (aOR: 1.96; CI: 1.20-3.19; p = 0.007). It was also found that “having an excessive workload within the postgraduate course” remained associated only with stress symptoms (aOR: 2.32; CI: 1.34-3.72; p = 0.002). The variables “not having a good student-supervisor relationship” (aOR: 4.31; CI: 1.75-10.61; p = 0.001) and “wanting to quit the course” (aOR: 1.72; CI: 1.04-2.87; p = 0.036) remained associated only with anxiety symptoms. Finally, “not being satisfied with the research topic” (aOR: 2.22; CI: 1.28-3.85; p = 0.005) and “financial difficulties affecting research” (aOR: 2.01; CI: 1.22-3.31; p = 0.006) remained associated only with depression symptoms. It is concluded that there was a high prevalence of the three outcomes studied, and that these were associated with important variables related to experiences within postgraduate studies.