Positive mental attitude and depressive symptoms among medical students and residents: a cross-sectional study

Depression is highly prevalent among medical trainees and negatively affects academic performance, empathy, and patient care. While healthy lifestyle behaviors are known to support mental health, the contribution of cognitive-emotional orientations, such as Positive Mental Attitude (PMA), remains underexplored. This study examined the associations between health behaviors, PMA, and depressive symptoms among medical students and residents in Ecuador.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2025 among 700 medical students and postgraduate residents at a private university. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI). Logistic regression models estimated associations between total HBI scores, its four subscales, and screening positive for clinically significant depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 10), adjusting for sociodemographic and academic variables.

Nearly half of participants screened positive on the PHQ-9 (score ≥10) (47.7%). Higher total HBI scores were associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms (AOR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.93-0.95). When HBI subscales were analyzed simultaneously, only PMA remained independently associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms (AOR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.74-0.84). Female gender, younger age, and the presence of comorbidities were also associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms.

PMA emerged as the behavioral domain most strongly associated with lower odds of clinically significant depressive symptoms in medical trainees, after adjustment for other lifestyle domains. These findings underscore the relevance of cognitive-emotional orientations in behavioral medicine and support the inclusion of positive psychology approaches in medical education to promote well-being.