A comparison of depression symptoms in undergraduate students in clinical and non-clinical health-related fields in Taiwan using a web-based survey.

• Main Authors: Anny Pei-Yun Kuang, 况珮芸
• Other Authors: Der-Ming Liou
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/98q8k9

碩士 === 國立陽明大學 === 國際衛生碩士學位學程 === 100 === Background: Undergraduate college students who enter medical majors are at an even higher risk than normal college students for psychological problems due to the demanding nature of their studies. Purpose: This research aims to find out if there are a significant proportion of undergraduate Taiwanese students that are majoring in medical related fields with symptoms of depression. Methods: This cross-sectional survey study utilizes a mandarin web-based survey created with Limesurvey, and utilizes the 21-item Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI-I) as the depression rating scale. The sample (n=319) was collected through the convenience sampling of 11 universities in Taiwan, of students in health-related majors. Results: The study found that Clinical major was not a significantly associated with depression. However, when age and gender were factored in, clinical major was shown to be a mediating variable with a protective effect on depression. Symptoms of self-hate, guilty feelings, and sleep disturbance were shown to be significantly associated with depression as well. Conclusion: Community-based and campus programs should target common symptoms in clinical and non-clinical students, in addition to more research focusing on mental health in Taiwan.