Isidora Vujcic has completed her PhD at the Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade. She is working as Assistant Professor at the Institute of Epidemiology Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade She has published more than 30 papers in reputed journals.

Medical students face huge requirements and psychosocial pressure which can lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety during their studies. Problems can also occur later during their career which can affect their ability to provide medical care. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of depression and anxiety symptoms among 6th year medical students, and to study relationship of these symptoms with socio-demographic factors. A cross-section study enrolled 378 students at the Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade in October 2018. Data from students were collected by using anonymous questionnaire. The symptoms of depression and anxiety were determined using Beck depression and Beck anxiety inventory. The statistical analysis used descriptive statistics and univariate regression analysis. The majority of students (88.6%) showed no symptoms of depression, 8.5% experienced symptoms of mild depression, 2.6% experienced symptoms of moderate depression, while only 1 student (0.3%) experienced symptoms of severe clinical depression. The majority of the students also showed no signs of anxiety (70.1%), while 2.6% showed symptoms of severe clinical anxiety. Symptoms of anxiety were more frequently present in the female relative to the male students (p<0.001). Socio-economic conditions influenced the symptoms of depression significantly, but, however, not the symptoms of anxiety.\r\nPrevalence of depression and anxiety among medical students in our study is lower in comparison with prevalence observed in other studies, but it should not be disregarded. Medical universities should not only recognize these symptoms occurring in students, but should also identify and manage risk factors in order to prevent their negative influence on personality function.\r\n

Dr. Chakema Carmack completed her PhD in Community Psychology with a specialty in Statistics and Methodology from Wichita State University. She completed postdoctoral studies at The Pennsylvannia State University-The Methodology Center. She is currently Assistant Professor in the Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences Department at the University of Houston. As a prevention scientist, her research revolves around sexually transmitted infection prevention and mental health, particularly among underserved popoulations, and exploring the social determinants of health that may encourage or impede mental health and health behavior.

Depression has been previously linked to both experiencing microaggressions and risky sexual behaviors. The present study sought to investigate the potential mediating effect of depression by testing the effect of microaggressions on depression and risky sexual behavior among a non-clinical sample of African American young adults (N=84; Mage=21). Participants completed a 63-item measure that included the Racial Microaggressions Scale (RMAS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and three sexual risk-related behaviors: condom use frequency, multiple concurrent sexual partners, and sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol). \r\n\r\nThe sexual risk-related behaviors were individually regressed onto the RMAS subscales and the total BDI-II depression score. Three of the six RMAS subscales (Low-Achieving/Undesirable Culture factor [LOW]; Sexualization factor [SEX], and Environmental Invalidations factor [ENV]) predicted two of the sexual risk-related behaviors: multiple concurrent sexual partners (LOW p<.05; SEX p<.01; ENV p<.01) and sex under the influence (LOW p<.05; SEX p<.01; ENV p<.05). \r\n\r\nNext, the BDI-II score was regressed onto the RMAS scales. The SEX and ENV subscales significantly predicted BDI-II score (b=.31, p<.01; and b=.25, p=.01). When controlling for the SEX and ENV subscale scores, the BDI-II score significantly predicted each of the sexual risk-related behaviors, (condom use frequency, p=.05; sex under the influence, p=.01; and multiple concurrent sexual partners, p<.01). \r\n\r\nThis demonstrates preliminary evidence of depression mediating the effect of certain types of microaggressions and their relationships to risky sexual behavior. Future research will seek to test a fully-powered mediation model. Practical implications for counselors working with this population are discussed. \r\n\r\n