Screening for depression and anxiety in medical and dental students who are forced into their field of study

Abstract

Objectives:  We hypothesized that the students who are forced to enter the medical field by their parents may have a higher incidence of depression and anxiety.   Methods: A total of 210 medical and dental students were asked to fill out a form indicating their desire to enter medical college versus their parents’ wishes on an analogue scale. They were also asked to fill out screening forms for depression and anxiety.   Results: The students who selected the medical field by their parent’s wishes were found to have 1.2 times more anxiety & 1.96 times more depression.   Conclusions: The parents should consider their child's willingness to enter the medical field before forcing him / her into the medical school.