Journal of Education and Health Promotion 2277-9531 11 7 2021 08 01 A study comparing depression, anxiety, and coping styles between high school students attending and not attending coaching class for medical entrance examination 1 7 28569 EN . Krishan Kumar Sharma Central Jail, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India . Parth Singh Meena Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, . Charan Singh Jhilowa Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India . Shubham Jhanwar Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India . Jitendra Rohilla Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India . Pinki Tak Department of Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India . Mahendra Jain Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India Journal Article 2023 02 24 BACKGROUND: Various kinds of stressors and psychological problems have been reported in<br />the adolescent student population. This study assessed and compared depression, anxiety, and<br />various coping styles among high school students attending coaching classes for medical entrance<br />examination (MEE) and those not.<br />MATERIALS AND METHODS: Systemic random sampling technique was used to recruit 400 high<br />school students with equal number of those attending (Group 1) and those not attending any coaching<br />class for MEE (Group 2). They underwent screening for depression and anxiety through Patient Health<br />Questionnaire‑9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‑item. Coping styles were assessed through<br />brief COPE inventory. Screening positive subjects were assessed in detail by a psychiatrist using<br />ICD‑10 (International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision), Diagnostic Criteria for Research (DCR).<br />The severity of depression and anxiety was measured through HAM‑D and HAM‑A, respectively.<br />RESULTS: Depression and anxiety were reported by higher proportion of Group 1 (36%) than<br />Group 2 (22%), χ2 (1) = 9.52; P = 0.002. In both the groups, depressive disorder was the most<br />common, followed by generalised anxiety–disorder and mixed anxiety–depression. The severity<br />of depression (HAM‑D score) and anxiety (HAM‑A Score) was significantly more Group 1. “Active<br />coping” (χ2 = 4.79 P = 0.02) and “Humor”  (χ2 = 30.90, P ≤ 0.01) were more commonly used by<br />healthy students, while “Religious coping” (χ2 = 37.92 P ≤ 0.01) were the most common among<br />those diagnosed with depression/anxiety disorder.<br />CONCLUSION: Higher prevalence of the psychological problems in adolescent school students<br />preparing for MEE highlights the importance of aptitude assessment, career counseling, and school<br />mental health program before their exposure to the competitive academic atmosphere.<br /><br /> https://jehp.mui.ac.ir/article_28569_7bb09a9a59920da2c778f2ad47a9b1f0.pdf