Medicina Clínica y Social · Published 2026-06-16 · DOI 10.52379/mcs.v10.805
Vivian Kaori Segawa, Julia Miwa Torata Nakano, Israel Kanaan Blaas, João Maurício Castaldelli-Maia
Introduction: Anxiety symptoms were highly prevalent among university students, particularly those enrolled in healthcare programs, and were associated with significant academic and functional impairment. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and severity of anxiety symptoms using the GAD-7 scale and to identify associated factors among healthcare undergraduate students. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 336 undergraduate students from eight healthcare programs at a Brazilian university. Data were collected through an online questionnaire including sociodemographic variables and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. Ordinal logistic regression was performed to assess associations between anxiety severity (minimal, mild, moderate, and severe) and predictors such as age, sex, course type (Medicine vs. non-medical), and academic year. Results: The mean age was 22.0 years (SD = 4.6), and 70% of participants were female. Most students (75.3%) were enrolled in Medicine. The mean GAD-7 score was 8.0 (SD = 5.4). Anxiety severity was classified as minimal (27.4%), mild (38.1%), moderate (20.2%), and severe (14.3%), with 34.5% presenting moderate to severe anxiety. Female sex (OR = 2.3; p < 0.001) and enrollment in non-medical courses (OR = 3.2; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with greater anxiety severity. Increasing age was inversely associated with anxiety (p = 0.037). Conclusion: Anxiety symptoms were highly prevalent among healthcare students. Female sex and enrollment in non-medical programs were independent predictors of higher anxiety severity, while older age was associated with lower levels.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
Read the article at the publisher →
Segawa, V., Nakano, J., Blaas, I., et al. (2026). Prevalence and Predictors of Anxiety Severity Among Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the GAD-7 Scale. Medicina Clínica y Social. https://doi.org/10.52379/mcs.v10.805