An Assessment of Depression, Anxiety, and their Associated Factors amongst Doctoral Students in Bangkok, Thailand

Introduction: Although it is widely accepted that doctoral students face extreme pressure and exhaustion, and that their mental well-being is more likely to be at risk than compared to undergraduate or graduate students – studies on the mental health status of doctoral students is severely lacking. The aims of this study was to assess the incidence of anxiety and depression amongst doctoral students in Bangkok, Thailand and to explore the relationship between anxiety, depression, and their possible associated factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 160 doctoral students in Bangkok, Thailand. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 was used to assess anxiety and depression. Information was also collected on sociodemographic factors and doctoral characteristics of doctoral students. The Research Self-Efficacy Scale was utilized to measure doctoral student's perceived ability in performing research tasks and activities. The Advisory Working Alliance Inventory – Student version was utilized to assess advisor-advisee relationships. To determine if any factors were significantly associated with anxiety and depression, chi-square test of independence for categorical variables, Spearman ρ correlation for continuous variables, and hierarchical linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Approximately 21.9% of doctoral students showed signs of moderate anxiety and around 28.7% of doctoral students showed signs of severe-toextremely severe anxiety. Similarly, approximately 23.8% of doctoral students showed signs of moderate depression, and around 16.3% of doctoral students showed signs of severe-to-extremely severe depression. Highest scholarly output and perceived capability in maintaining school-work-life balance were significantly associated with depression. Furthermore, age of doctoral student, research selfefficacy, and advisory working alliance had negative relationships with anxiety and depression. Conclusion: This study's findings reveal that anxiety and depression are prevalent amongst doctoral students in Bangkok, and calls for institutions to pay closer attention to the mental health and well-being of doctoral students. Strategies and interventions that promote research self-efficacy and advisory working alliance could be helpful in reducing and preventing anxiety and depression.