title: Correlations between psychological symptoms and social relationships among medical undergraduates in Anhui Province of China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety) among Chinese medical students and to find the possible relationships between psychological symptoms and social relationships.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 10,140 medical students was investigated with a structured questionnaire, that included the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Social Support Rating Scale, and Family APGAR Index (adaptability, partnership, growth, affection, resolve).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The present study revealed that 16.8% of the medical students suffered from depressive symptoms and 14.1% from anxiety symptoms. Female students were more likely to have anxiety, the second-year students had higher levels of psychological symptoms than the first-year students. Likewise, significant differences were found among college, satisfaction of specialty, and economic condition of the family in anxiety and depression symptoms. Social support, family function, and all dimensions were significantly negatively associated with depression and anxiety symptoms. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression showed that less social support, poor family function, the second-year students, and unsatisfactory specialty were associated with more psychological symptoms, after adjusting the effects of sex, age, and college.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medical students have a relatively high level of depression and anxiety symptoms. These findings support the hypothesis that if medical students are better supported and cared for, negative psychosocial consequences might be prevented or at least reduced.
authors.affiliation: Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China. liangsun@126.com
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Li-Na
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ye-Huan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Lin-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hong-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Dong-Dong
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hong-Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D002321:Career Choice; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult