Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- . Krishan Kumar Sharma 1
- . Parth Singh Meena 2
- . Charan Singh Jhilowa 3
- . Shubham Jhanwar 4
- . Jitendra Rohilla 4
- . Pinki Tak 5
- . Mahendra Jain 3
1 Central Jail, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
2 Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India,
3 Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
4 Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
5 Department of Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Various kinds of stressors and psychological problems have been reported in
the adolescent student population. This study assessed and compared depression, anxiety, and
various coping styles among high school students attending coaching classes for medical entrance
examination (MEE) and those not.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Systemic random sampling technique was used to recruit 400 high
school students with equal number of those attending (Group 1) and those not attending any coaching
class for MEE (Group 2). They underwent screening for depression and anxiety through Patient Health
Questionnaire‑9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7‑item. Coping styles were assessed through
brief COPE inventory. Screening positive subjects were assessed in detail by a psychiatrist using
ICD‑10 (International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision), Diagnostic Criteria for Research (DCR).
The severity of depression and anxiety was measured through HAM‑D and HAM‑A, respectively.
RESULTS: Depression and anxiety were reported by higher proportion of Group 1 (36%) than
Group 2 (22%), χ2 (1) = 9.52; P = 0.002. In both the groups, depressive disorder was the most
common, followed by generalised anxiety–disorder and mixed anxiety–depression. The severity
of depression (HAM‑D score) and anxiety (HAM‑A Score) was significantly more Group 1. “Active
coping” (χ2 = 4.79 P = 0.02) and “Humor” (χ2 = 30.90, P ≤ 0.01) were more commonly used by
healthy students, while “Religious coping” (χ2 = 37.92 P ≤ 0.01) were the most common among
those diagnosed with depression/anxiety disorder.
CONCLUSION: Higher prevalence of the psychological problems in adolescent school students
preparing for MEE highlights the importance of aptitude assessment, career counseling, and school
mental health program before their exposure to the competitive academic atmosphere.
Keywords
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