Objective: The study aimed to identify and evaluate the mental health status, including anxiety, stress, and depression, among medical and pharmaceutical students at Nam Can Tho University.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 830 students from the Medicine and Pharmacy departments at Nam Can Tho University between November 2023 and October 2024. The DASS-21 questionnaire was used as the primary assessment tool.
Results: The prevalence of anxiety symptoms among students was 48.8%; the levels of mild, moderate, severe, and extremely severe anxiety were observed at 10.7%, 20.8%, 7.2%, and 10%, respectively. Stress symptoms were present in 39.3% of students, with mild, moderate, severe, and extremely severe stress levels at 14.1%, 12.8%, 9.3%, and 3.1%, respectively. Depression symptoms were observed in 35.4% of students, with mild, moderate, severe, and extremely severe levels at 13.3%, 13.1%, 5.3%, and 3.7%, respectively. Factors significantly associated with anxiety (p < 0.05) included living in dormitories, past experiences with anxiety or depression, satisfaction with treatment locations, and receiving emotional support from parents. Factors associated with stress symptoms (p < 0.05) included year of study, past experiences with anxiety or depression, and satisfaction with treatment locations. For depression symptoms, significant factors included family conflicts with parents or siblings and frequent physical exercise.
Conclusion: Psychological support should be strengthened through the provision of counseling services and encouragement of support from family and friends to create a healthy mental environment for students.