Depression in Mexican medical students: A path model analysis

BACKGROUND: Depression is a mental health disorder present in medical students that foster cumulative disadvantages throughout life and that may compromise patient care. Yet, in Mexico there is a dearth of research concerning prediction models for depression in this population. METHODS: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to develop and test a path model analysis of depression in 103 freshmen Mexican medical students ages 18–23 years old selected non-randomly. Anxiety, emotion dysregulation, and coping skills were used as factors influencing depression. Mexican self-report scales were used as assessment measures. RESULTS: Main results showed that anxiety and emotion dysregulation had a significant direct influence on depression. Emotion dysregulation had a significant direct effect on coping skills and anxiety, while anxiety had a significant direct effect on problem drinking and alcohol problems. Fit indexes obtained indicate an excellent adjustment to data. R square indicates that 53.7% of the variance in depression can be explained by this model. LIMITATIONS: The results are exploratory rather than confirmatory. The sample size was not large enough and the research focused on only Mexican freshmen medical students. Other factors associated to depression in medical students were not considered. CONCLUSIONS: The current research provides unique findings in terms of a model of depression in Mexican medical students through which it is possible to design and implement interventions that decrease depression, thus positively affecting their well-being, their future careers as medical doctors and their abilities to serve the society adequately, especially in the context of Latin American cities.