Efficacy of behavioral intervention in reducing anxiety and depression among medical students

BACKGROUND: Now a days, college students frequently have more complex problems than they used to have over a decade ago – greater difficulties in relationships; and more severe problems, such as depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide. Counseling helps students to understand themselves and the world around them, and to adjust themselves more efficiently and appropriately to other fellow beings. AIM: To determine as to what extent the medical students were able to cope up with their anxiety and depression with the help of counseling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the experimental design ‘Before-and –after with control design‘, Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory were administered to 120 medical students who were randomly selected from a private medical college, comprising of 30 males and 30 females in each of the two groups, viz., the experimental group and the control group. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Means, standard deviations, t test and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Anxiety and depression among the students were found to be reduced after counseling. Male and female students in the experimental group showed decrease in the levels of anxiety and depression; whereas the control group, which did not get the benefit of counseling, continued to have the same levels of anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: Counseling is helpful in building self-confidence and the capacity to adjust, by reducing anxiety and depression among medical college students.