Table 2.
Premedical and Nonpremedical Student Depressiona
| Variable | n | Premedical (n = 647) | Nonpremedical (n = 1,495) | F/χ2 | Pb |
| PHQ-9 depression score | |||||
| Intensity, mean ± SD | 2,142 | 8.0 ± 5.7 | 6.9 ± 5.2 | F= 17.94 | <.001 |
| Symptomatic MDDc | 253 | 14.7 | 10.6 | χ2= 7.34 | .007 |
| Severity cutoffs | F= 28.94 | <.001 | |||
| Insignificant (0–4) | 816 | 33.4 | 40.1 | χ2= 8.72 | .003 |
| Mild (5–9) | 711 | 33.4 | 33.1 | χ2= 0.02 | .901 |
| Moderate (10–14) | 373 | 19.0 | 16.7 | χ2= 1.64 | .200 |
| Moderately severe (15–19) | 174 | 9.4 | 7.6 | χ2= 2.12 | .146 |
| Severe (20–27) | 68 | 4.8 | 2.5 | χ2= 7.88 | .005 |
a
Data are presented as % unless otherwise specified.
b
Bolded values indicate statistical significance.
c
At least 5 of the 9 questions are answered with either “more than half the days” or “nearly every day,” 1 of which must be either question 1 (feeling little interest or pleasure in doing things) or question 2 (feeling down, depressed, or hopeless).
Abbreviations: MDD = major depressive disorder, PHQ-9 = 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire.