Evaluation of Depression Among Students of Curative Medicine at Kabul: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Analysis

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Published Jun 24, 2025
https://doi.org/10.70436/nuijb.v3i04.359
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Vol. 3 No. 04 (2024): December

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Azizurrahman Amarkhel
School Health/WASH
Abdulillah Kamran
Nangarhar University
Momina Sadat Hussaini
Kabul University
Sayed Zekria Hashimi
Nangarhar University
Arifullah Arif
Nangarhar University

Abstract

Medical students are susceptible to many psychological disorders, particularly of depressive type, since they experience a variety of stressors while pursuing their education. Globally 322 million people endure from depression. Medical students frequently experience depressive symptoms, which have a negative impact on the state of their bodily, psychological and emotional wellbeing and lead to subpar academic performance. The purpose of this study is to characterize depressive disorders among students studying curative medicine in Kabul, Afghanistan. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was undertaken among students of the curative medicine faculties from October 1, 2024, to October 30, 2024, in Kabul, Afghanistan. An equal number of students were chosen by stratified random sampling method from every educational year and medical field, From the initial to the last, with a sample size of 460. Utilizing the “Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)”, signs of depression were evaluated for. Version 27 of the “Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)” was used to examine the data. Out of 460 Pupils, 456 finished the questionnaire, and 71.9% of them had a depressive disorder. Among them, 144 (31.6%) and 156 (34.2%) reported mild and moderate depression, respectively, while 17 (3.7%) and 11 (2.4%) students reported moderately severe and severe depression. At 79.3%, the fourth academic year had a higher frequency of total depression. Given the high frequency of depressive disorders among curative medicine students, this study emphasizes the necessity for more research on discovering hazards and causes of mood disorders among medical students attending the curative medicine schools in Kabul.

Keywords

Curative, medicine, Depression, Kabul, Mental, Disorders, Students

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Author Biographies

Azizurrahman Amarkhel, School Health/WASH

MD, MPH, MICHA, School Health/WASH, Kabul, Afghanistan

Abdulillah Kamran, Nangarhar University

Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Nangarhar University, Nangarhar, Afghanistan

Momina Sadat Hussaini, Kabul University

Department of Adult Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Kabul University of Medical Sciences "Abu Ali Ibn Sina" (KUMS), Kabul, Afghanistan

Sayed Zekria Hashimi, Nangarhar University

Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nangarhar University, Nangarhar, Afghanistan

Arifullah Arif, Nangarhar University

MD, Nangarhar Medical Faculty (NMF) Nangarhar, Afghanistan

How to Cite
Amarkhel, A., Kamran, A., Sadat Hussaini, M., Hashimi, S. Z., & Arif, A. (2025). Evaluation of Depression Among Students of Curative Medicine at Kabul: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Analysis. Nangarhar University International Journal of Biosciences, 3(04), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.70436/nuijb.v3i04.359

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