Vol. 36 (2026): Volumen 36
Artículos de Investigación

Anxiety in first- and last-year medical science students during final exams

PDF (Español (España))
  • Valerie Vanessa Zambrano-Enríquez,
  • Lesly Mariana Delgado-Treviño,
  • Guillermo Cano-Verdugo,
  • Margarita María Reyna-Maldonado,
  • Sanjuana Alejandra Tello-Medrano,
  • María Argelia Akemi Nakagoshi-Cepeda
Guillermo Cano-Verdugo
Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15174/au.2026.4312

Published 2026-03-11

How to Cite

Zambrano-Enríquez, V. V., Delgado-Treviño, L. M., Cano-Verdugo, G., Reyna-Maldonado, M. M., Tello-Medrano, S. A., & Nakagoshi-Cepeda, M. A. A. (2026). Anxiety in first- and last-year medical science students during final exams. Acta Universitaria, 36, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.15174/au.2026.4312

Copyright (c) 2026 Valerie Vanessa Zambrano-Enríquez, Lesly Mariana Delgado-Treviño, Guillermo Cano-Verdugo, Margarita María Reyna-Maldonado, Sanjuana Alejandra Tello-Medrano, María Argelia Akemi Nakagoshi-Cepeda

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Anxiety is a natural response to a perceived threat or danger, characterized by tension, worry, and physical changes. This study evaluated anxiety in first- and last-year medical students during final exams. A cross-sectional design was used where the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was applied to 117 students. The chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were applied for the analysis of data. Results showed that final-year students exhibited higher levels of moderate anxiety, while first-year students showed higher levels of severe anxiety. Factors such as academic workload and economic situation did not show significant differences between groups. Self-reported anxiety was higher among final-year students, suggesting greater awareness of their mental health. Psychological support and longitudinal studies are recommended to explore the progression.

PDF (Español (España))

References

  1. Aloufi, M. A., Jarden, R. J., Gerdtz, M. F., & Kapp, S. (2021). Reducing stress, anxiety and depression in undergraduate nursing students: systematic review. Nurse Education Today, 102, 104877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104877
  2. Andersson, M. J., Kenttä, G., Moesch, K., Borg, E., Claesdotter-Knutsson, E., & Håkansson, A. (2023). Symptoms of depression and anxiety among elite high school student-athletes in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study. Journal of Sports Sciences, 41(9), 874–883. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2023.2241783
  3. Azad, N., Shahid, A., Abbas, N., Shaheen, A., & Munir, N. (2017). Frequency of anxiety and depression in medical students of a private medical college. Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad, 29(1), 123–127. https://jamc.ayubmed.edu.pk/index.php/jamc/article/view/850/883
  4. Beck, A. T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., & Steer, R. A. (1988). An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(6), 893–897. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006x.56.6.893
  5. Bertani, D. E., Mattei, G., Ferrari, S., Pingani, L., & Galeazzi, G. M. (2020). Anxiety, depression and personality traits in Italian medical students. Rivista di psichiatria, 55(6), 342–348. https://doi.org/10.1708/3503.34892
  6. Cuschieri, S. (2019). The STROBE guidelines. Saudi Journal of Anesthesia, 13(1), 31–34. https://doi.org/10.4103/sja.SJA_543_18
  7. Deyo, A., Wallace, J., & Kidwell, K. M. (2024). Screen time and mental health in college students: time in nature as a protective factor. Journal of American College Health, 72(8), 3025–3032. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2151843
  8. Fazia, T., Bubbico, F., Nova, A., Buizza, C., Cela, H., Iozzi, D., Calgan, B., Maggi, F., Floris, V., Sutti, I., Bruno, S., Ghilardi, A., & Bernardinelli, L. (2023). Improving stress management, anxiety, and mental well-being in medical students through an online Mindfulness-Based Intervention: a randomized study. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 8214. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35483-z
  9. Haykal, K. A., Pereira, L., Power, A., & Fournier, K. (2022). Medical student wellness assessment beyond anxiety and depression: a scoping review. PloS One, 17(10), e0276894. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276894
  10. Juul, M. V., Fast, A. T., Lassen, A. T., & Laugesen, S. (2022). Anxiety among medical students and junior doctors in Denmark. Danish Medical Journal, 69(11), A03220162. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36331149/
  11. Lasheras, I., Gracia-García, P., Lipnicki, D. M., Bueno-Notivol, J., López-Antón, R., de la Cámara, C., Lobo, A., & Santabárbara, J. (2020). Prevalence of anxiety in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid systematic review with meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6603. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186603
  12. Meeks, K., Peak, A. S., & Dreihaus, A. (2023). Depression, anxiety, and stress among students, faculty, and staff. Journal of American College Health, 71(2), 348–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1891913
  13. Moreira, J., Moreira, C. A., & Telles-Correia, D. (2018). Anxiety, depression and academic performance: a study amongst Portuguese medical students versus non-medical students. Acta Medica Portuguesa, 31(9), 454–462. https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.9996
  14. Nikolic, A., Bukurov, B., Kocic, I., Vukovic, M., Ladjevic, N., Vrhovac, M., Pavlović, Z., Grujicic, J., Kisic, D., & Sipetic, S. (2023). Smartphone addiction, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress among medical students. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1252371. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1252371
  15. Quek, T. T., Tam, W. W., Tran, B. X., Zhang, M., Zhang, Z., Ho, C. S., & Ho, R. C. (2019). The global prevalence of anxiety among medical students: a meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(15), 2735. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16152735
  16. Santander-Hernández, F. M., Peralta, C. I., Guevara-Morales, M. A., Díaz-Vélez, C., & Valladares-Garrido, M. J. (2022). Smartphone overuse, depression & anxiety in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. PloS one, 17(8), e0273575. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273575
  17. Shafiee, A., Teymouri, M. M., Seighali, N., Amini, M. J., Hajishah, H., Arabazadeh, R., Akhoundi, A., Beiky, M., Sarvipour, N., Maleki, S., & Bakhtiyari, M. (2024). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances among medical students and resident physicians in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS One, 19(8), e0307117. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307117
  18. Shao, R., He, P., Ling, B., Tan, L., Xu, L., Hou, Y., Kong, L., & Yang, Y. (2020). Prevalence of depression and anxiety and correlations between depression, anxiety, family functioning, social support and coping styles among Chinese medical students. BMC Psychology, 8(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-00402-8
  19. Sinval, J., Oliveira, P., Novais, F., Almeida, C. M., & Telles-Correia, D. (2025). Exploring the impact of depression, anxiety, stress, academic engagement, and dropout intention on medical students' academic performance: A prospective study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 368, 665–673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.09.116
  20. Steenen, S. A., Linke, F., van Westrhenen, R., & de Jongh, A. (2024). Interventions to reduce adult state anxiety, dental trait anxiety, and dental phobia: a systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 105, 102891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102891
  21. Vo, T. N., Chiu, H. Y., Chuang, Y. H., & Huang, H. C. (2023). Prevalence of stress and anxiety among nursing students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nurse Educator, 48(3), 90–95. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001343
  22. Weber, S. R., Winkelmann, Z. K., Monsma, E. V., Arent, S. M., & Torres-McGehee, T. M. (2023). An examination of depression, anxiety, and self-esteem in collegiate student-athletes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1211. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021211
  23. World Health Organization (WHO). (27 de septiembre de 2023). Anxiety disorders [Hoja informativa]. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/anxiety-disorders