Depression and perceived stress among the medical residents under the "unified double-track" training systems

It is an important reform for medical education in China to combine professional postgraduate training with standardized resident training. This study aims to evaluate the depression and perceived stress in postgraduate students of clinical medicine and residents from society and to determine the relation between depression and perceived stress in medical residents.

Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were applied to 330 residents (including 235 postgraduate students of clinical medicine and 95 residents from society) from a Class-A Grade-3 genernal hospital in Hunan Province to evaluate and compare the depression and perceived stress in postgraduate students of clinical medicine and residents from society. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the association between depression and perceived stress. Stress resources between 2 groups of residents were observed and compared.

Of the 235 postgraduate students of clinical medicine, 148 (63.0%) showed depression and 162 (68.9%) showed elevated perceived stress. Main stress resources were academic pressure, scientific research pressure, and employment pressure. Of the 95 residents from society, 52 (54.7%) showed depression and 58 (61.1%) showed elevated perceived stress. Main stress resources were economic stress, employment pressure, and academic pressure. The scores of CPSS and SDS were significantly higher in postgraduate students of clinical medicine than those in residents from society (t=2.110, P=0.036; t=2.810, P=0.005, respectively), while gender showed no difference in the scores of CPSS and SDS (t=-0.968, P=0.334; t=0.462, P=0.644, respectively). There was a significant positive correlation between depression and perceived stress (r=0.854, P<0.001).

Residents (including postgraduate students of clinical medicine and residents from society) possess depression and elevated perceived stress with positive correlation. The postgraduate students of clinical medicine show higher level of depression and perceived stress than the residents from society under the "unified double-track" training system.