Curricular Content Level of Complexity Is a Factor of Depression and Learning in Medical Students

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to analyze the impact of Human Physiology curriculum on depression and academic performance of medical students. Beck instrument was applied before exams’ period to all students who voluntarily participated and the grades gotten in each of the three Human Physiology exams were correlated with all first year’s averages. Descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out. We found a significant relationship between the complexity of Human Physiology curriculum and the number of cases of depression, resulting in low academic average; high correlations were among Human Physiology contents and those of Biochemistry and Anatomy. It is important to implement support programs to follow students’ emotional welfare as well as to go over the subject’s content.