Depression, anxiety, stress symptoms among overweight and obesity in medical students, with mediating effects of academic burnout and internet addiction

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the mediating effects of academic burnout and internet addiction on the associations between BMI (normal weight and overweight/obesity) and depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms among medical students. This study included 610 medical students aged 18–24 years in 2023. Regression analysis was used to explore the mediating effects of academic burnout and internet addiction on the associations between BMI and depressive/anxiety/stress symptoms. The bootstrap method was used to examine the statistical significance of the mediating effects. According to the mediation model incorporated academic burnout and internet addiction as mediators of overweight/obese status and depressive/anxiety/stress symptoms, the direct effects of overweight/obesity on symptoms of depression (b = 0.452, p < 0.001), anxiety (b = 0.449, p < 0.001), and stress (b = 0.466, p < 0.001) among medical students were statistically significant. Our results showed that overweight/obesity medical students were directly related to academic burnout and internet addiction, and to the further development of depression/anxiety/stress symptoms. Medical students with overweight/obesiety statusmight be at high risk for depressive/anxiety/stress symptoms. It is possible to relieve these symptoms by preventing academic burnout and providing early intervention for internet addiction. The risk of depression/anxiety/stress resulting from overweight/obesity status in medical students should be reduced.