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Self -Reported Symptoms of Depression and Associated Features in Medical Interns at a South African Tertiary Health Facility
Background: It is known that medical doctors suffer from increased rates of depression with medical interns being most at risk. Despite this, little is known about the prevalence of depression in interns in South Africa. Aim: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in intern...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health
2022
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| _version_ | 1867614146874310656 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Naidu, Kaveshin |
| author2 | Thornton, H B |
| author_browse | Naidu, Kaveshin Thornton, H B |
| author_facet | Thornton, H B Naidu, Kaveshin |
| author_sort | Naidu, Kaveshin |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Background: It is known that medical doctors suffer from increased rates of depression with medical interns being most at risk. Despite this, little is known about the prevalence of depression in interns in South Africa. Aim: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in interns. Setting: All 91 interns employed at Groote Schuur Hospital, a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, from January 2017 until May 2018, were invited to participate in the study. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study. Consenting interns were required to complete a demographic and related questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory 2 (BDI-2). Results: Fifty-four (59.3%) of all invited interns participated in the study. Twenty-two interns (41%) reported a Beck Depression Inventory 2 score of 14 or greater. Features associated with a BDI-2 score of 14 or greater, included female gender, a previous diagnosis of depression, seeing a psychotherapist and previously being on antidepressant medication during internship. Other features also significantly associated with higher BDI-2 scores included, suicidal ideation, thoughts of emigration, wanting to leave Medicine and using substances to cope. The most significant associated feature of high BDI-2 scores was feeling “burnt out”. Conclusion: Interns had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms when compared to the general population. The feeling of being ‘burnout' was the most significant factor associated with the severity of depressive symptoms. It is imperative that the mental health of both medical students and newly qualified doctors be prioritised, supported and monitored. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36894 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:24.831Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health |
| publisherStr | Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36894 Self -Reported Symptoms of Depression and Associated Features in Medical Interns at a South African Tertiary Health Facility Naidu, Kaveshin Thornton, H B Torline, John Ross Depressive Symptoms Burnout Medical Interns Beck Depression Inventory 2 South Africa Background: It is known that medical doctors suffer from increased rates of depression with medical interns being most at risk. Despite this, little is known about the prevalence of depression in interns in South Africa. Aim: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms in interns. Setting: All 91 interns employed at Groote Schuur Hospital, a tertiary hospital in the Western Cape, from January 2017 until May 2018, were invited to participate in the study. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study. Consenting interns were required to complete a demographic and related questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory 2 (BDI-2). Results: Fifty-four (59.3%) of all invited interns participated in the study. Twenty-two interns (41%) reported a Beck Depression Inventory 2 score of 14 or greater. Features associated with a BDI-2 score of 14 or greater, included female gender, a previous diagnosis of depression, seeing a psychotherapist and previously being on antidepressant medication during internship. Other features also significantly associated with higher BDI-2 scores included, suicidal ideation, thoughts of emigration, wanting to leave Medicine and using substances to cope. The most significant associated feature of high BDI-2 scores was feeling “burnt out”. Conclusion: Interns had a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms when compared to the general population. The feeling of being ‘burnout' was the most significant factor associated with the severity of depressive symptoms. It is imperative that the mental health of both medical students and newly qualified doctors be prioritised, supported and monitored. 2022-11-16T09:53:20Z 2022-11-16T09:53:20Z 2021 2022-10-27T10:54:59Z Master Thesis Masters MMed http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36894 eng application/pdf Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health Faculty of Health Sciences |
| spellingShingle | Depressive Symptoms Burnout Medical Interns Beck Depression Inventory 2 South Africa Naidu, Kaveshin Self -Reported Symptoms of Depression and Associated Features in Medical Interns at a South African Tertiary Health Facility |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Self -Reported Symptoms of Depression and Associated Features in Medical Interns at a South African Tertiary Health Facility |
| title_full | Self -Reported Symptoms of Depression and Associated Features in Medical Interns at a South African Tertiary Health Facility |
| title_fullStr | Self -Reported Symptoms of Depression and Associated Features in Medical Interns at a South African Tertiary Health Facility |
| title_full_unstemmed | Self -Reported Symptoms of Depression and Associated Features in Medical Interns at a South African Tertiary Health Facility |
| title_short | Self -Reported Symptoms of Depression and Associated Features in Medical Interns at a South African Tertiary Health Facility |
| title_sort | self reported symptoms of depression and associated features in medical interns at a south african tertiary health facility |
| topic | Depressive Symptoms Burnout Medical Interns Beck Depression Inventory 2 South Africa |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36894 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT naidukaveshin selfreportedsymptomsofdepressionandassociatedfeaturesinmedicalinternsatasouthafricantertiaryhealthfacility |