Screening for Undetected Depression in Physician Assistant Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Physician assistant (PA) students undergo rigorous academic and clinical training.
• High levels of stress and burnout are reported in health professions students.
• Depressive symptoms can negatively impact academic performance and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure and compare depressive symptoms in PA students.
• To assess symptom prevalence during both didactic and clinical phases of education.

Main Methods:

• 123 PA students completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9).
• Responses were scored using two methods: PHQ-2 (questions 1-2) and PHQ-9 (all questions).
• Depression severity was assigned based on established scoring criteria for each method.

Main Results:

• Using the PHQ-2 method, 8.13% of students screened positive for depression.
• Using the PHQ-9 method, 98.37% of students screened positive for at least minimal depression.
• Almost half (47.15%) reported mild to severe depression; no significant difference in total scores between classes, but fatigue and sleep disturbances were significant.

Conclusions:

• Routine depression screening for trainees is recommended.
• Restricting clinical work hours may help mitigate fatigue.
• Early intervention and resources are crucial for students experiencing depressive symptoms.