A Study on Perceived Stress and Coping Mechanisms Among Students of a Medical School in South India (original) (raw)
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BACKGROUND: Stress is a subjective experience which creates an obstacle in a person’s path of achieving his or her goals. It creates negative outcomes among the population. Medical curriculum is very vast and stressful. As doctors are the very important part of society, medical students must be allowed to learn their trade in a stress‑free environment. The present study aimed to assess the perceived stress, various sources of stress among medical undergraduate students, and the coping strategies adopted. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross‑sectional study conducted among medical under‑graduate students studying at a tertiary care hospital situated in Mumbai city of Maharashtra between January and June 2018. Using purposive sampling technique, a total of 450 medical students from 1st year to final year were invited to participate in the study. A self‑administered questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic details and perceived stress scale questions was used. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess the determinants of stress. Odds ratio, 95\% confidence interval was calculated. P {\textless} 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 79.11\%, with 356 out of 450 students returning the questionnaire. Among 356 participants, 324 participants (91\%) were suffering from high levels of stress. Factors such as curriculum vastness, frequency of examination, competition with peer, performance in examinations, worry about future, loneliness, relation with opposite sex, and quality of food played a major role in creating additional stress. CONCLUSIONS: The perceived stress was higher among female medical students. Academic factors are greater perceived cause of stress in medical students in this study. A substantial proportion of medical undergraduate students were found to be stressed which necessitates appropriate and timely interventions. Reframing the academic curriculum along with examination and evaluation patterns, incorporating extracurricular activities, and establishment of counselling cells in the institution is the need of the hour.
Common Stressors And Coping Of Stress By Medical Students
2009
Everyone experiences stress. It is a natural reaction that everyone experiences at one time or the other. It is a part of human nature. Stress is the body's response to danger or perceived threat. Many things in life can bring us stress. Adrenalin is released through our body, causing our body pressure to rise and the outward muscles to tighten. Elevated levels of stress can put a toll on our system but we can develop ways to cope with stress or to make attempts in our lives to avoid it. The participants in this study were 126 undergraduate medical students of Shree M P Shah Medical College, Jamnagar. Systemic random sampling was used for the selection of the participants. A majority of the 1 st year medical students at Shri M.P Shah Medical College perceived stress. The stress profiles were as follows. 18-25% stressors were environmental. 21-40% stressors were due to office relationships. 18-25% stressors were due to social factors. 35-70% stressors were due to academic factors. As stress has a detrimental effect both on health as well as academic performance, the college administration should incorporate stress management plans as a co-curricular activity. The stressors at the campus should be identified, discussed with, and proper coping assistance should be provided to individual students. As stress in our colleges cannot be eliminated, we can and should do a better job and provide life satisfaction to our students.
Stress and it's Coping Strategies in Medical Students
Medical education consists of imparting knowledge, health and development, necessary skills and applications of available sources to overcome stress. Stress in medical education is common and process-oriented. It often exerts a negative effect on their academic performance, physical health, and psychological well being. The aim was to study various stress factors, with specific objective to understand the stress factors and to know coping strategies among medical student. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 400 medical students of 2 nd to 5 th year. A 35 item questionnaire was designed to assess the sources of stress and their severity. Coping strategies adopted by students were assessed by using a 14-item stress inventory, and a questionnaire based on 12 institutional stress-reducing factors was used to identify its role. Data analysis was done by using a 5-point Likert's scale. The data was collected on Microsoft Excel 2007 sheets as percentage distribution and analyzed with SPSS. Coping strategies refer to specific efforts that people adopt to reduce, tolerate or minimize stress. The most common sources of stress were related to academics. The most common coping strategies adopted by the students were meditation, interaction with friends and hobbies like music, sports, etc. The students should be taught different stress management techniques to improve their ability to cope with a demanding professional course. The overall response rate was 93%.The study provided scope for adopting strategies intended to reduce students stress. Review of academics and examination schedules and patterns, better interaction with the faculty and proper guidance, intervention programmes and counselling for the stressed ones could help a lot to reduce the stress in medical students.
STRESS FACTORS AND WAY OF COPING AMONGST THE STUDENTS OF MEDICAL COLLEGE
National Journal of Community Medicine, 2016
Introduction: Medical profession, although a noble profession, is not spared from the stress and suicidal tendencies. Stress, if not dealt effectively, loneliness, nervousness, and sleeplessness is inevitable. The present study was undertaken to identify the stress factors and way of coping amongst medical student. Methods: Cross-sectional study was done on 353 medical students using pretested, semi structured questionnaire. Information regarding Personal data, Stress inducing factors & ways of coping was collected from the participants. Results: Medical students that reported stress factors were course material of MBBS by 71.7%, followed by economic problems 60.7%, academic factors 57.0%, competition in college 56.6%, college/hostel environmental factors 44.9% and social problems 39.5%. Individual stress factors in decreasing order were work overload in 80.5%, nervous breakdown before or during viva 79.3%, worry for Postgraduate seat 75.1%, fear of failure in exam in 72.8% students. Only 19.8% students had stress due to ragging. Talking to friends (79%), call at home or go to home or movie (50-53%) & using internet/ videogames (50%), were major way of coping. Conclusions: The major stressors identified were academic factors and course material. The preferred method of coping was talking to friends and family members.
Students, Stress and Coping Strategies: A Case of Pakistani Medical School
Education for Health: Change in Learning & Practice, 2004
Objective: Assess the perception of stress amongst medical students and their coping strategies. Methodology/Study design: A cross sectional study using a semi-structured self administered questionnaire was carried out over four weeks, using a small sample of students of all categories and classes of a medical college. Results: A total of 264 students out of 300 (88%) filled in the questionnaire. Inability to cope, helplessness, increased psychological pressure, mental tension and too much workload are 'stress factors' for students. A considerable majority ( 4 90%) think that they have been stressed at one time or another. Ninety-four per cent of males have experienced stress. The senior students of the fourth and final year feel more stressed (95% and 98% respectively). Low moods, inability to concentrate, loss of temper are most common symptoms. Females report more symptoms. Academics and exams are the most powerful stressors. Sports, music, hanging out with friends, sleeping or going into isolation are various coping mechanisms. Stress can affect the academic performance. If needed, students prefer to talk to a peer. They demand more recreational activities on campus, revised schedule of academics and exams, better counselling facilities and improvement in student-teacher relationship. Conclusion: The prevalence of perceived stress seems to be high among medical students, which tends to affect not only their academic performances but also all aspects of health. Review of academics and exam schedules, more leisure time activities, better interaction with the faculty and proper guidance, advisory services and peer counselling at the campus could do a lot to reduce the stress.
To maintain high level of proficiency and better patient outcomes, medical personnel suffer from high degree of stress. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of stress and associated coping strategies among medical undergraduate students in a south Indian medical college. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional study was done among 1st year students in a private medical college in Tamil Nadu, India. A self-administered pretested questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic information and information on perceived mental stress (PSS-10) and coping strategies (Brief COPE). Results: About 80% of the boys and 75% of the girls reported a moderate or higher stress level according to the PSS. Most commonly employed coping mechanism among students under stress was religion (25%). Among boys, the most common mechanism was humor (26%) and that of girls was religious methods (30%). Conclusions: Stress was common among first year medical students. There is a requirement for stress management training among MBBS students.
IOSR Journals , 2019
Medical education is always considered as challenging and demanding. Unfortunately, the fact that doctors too can experience emotional disturbances like everyone else is overlooked and experiencing stress in medical life is considered to be a done thing. The undergraduate students, when bombarded with the burden of academic curriculum coupled with the necessity to become responsible and competent professionals, experience stress but hardly reach out to others for help. The coping styles of students who experience stress are also majorly maladaptive and that only adds on to their distress. Stress not only disturbs our emotional equilibrium but also takes a toll on our health and becomes a possible factor in the development of various mental health conditions. Identifying the stressors and understanding the coping mechanisms the individual employs becomes a significant determinant of treatment response in such cases. Studies have consistently reported that medical students experience a high level of stress during their undergraduate course resulting in deteriorating performance and other stress-related disorders. This study was carried out to shed light on the everyday stressful life of medical students and to understand how coping strategies can influence an individual's perception of stress. The perceived stress scale was used for measuring stress and brief COPE inventory was used to assess the coping styles the students employed. 92% (276) students reported the presence of moderate to severe levels of stress with females reporting more stress. This study found that the students used active coping strategies more than avoidant strategies but students with high levels of perceived stress used more of dysfunctional coping strategies such as denial, behavioural disengagement, venting, and self-blame. The main stressors in the current study were related predominantly not just to medical training but social and personal problems were also considered as significant stressors. Students need to be aware of how coping styles can influence their stress levels and what strategies need to be cultivated to help them reduce their distress.
National Journal of Community Medicine, 2018
Introduction: Students are subjected to different kinds of experiences which make them vulnerable to undergo a lot of stress. Medical education is inherently stressful and demanding, and, students are likely to face stress mostly due to academic stressors. Methods: Study is a cross sectional study conducted at Al-Ameen medical college, Bijapur involving 148 first year undergraduate medical students. Results: The study reveals that all students are unmarried 148 (100%). Majority of them are males, belonged to 17-18 age group, socioeconomic status I, and, had nuclear family. 43 (29.1%) stu- dents suffer from stress. Study subjects have mean Perceived stress score 25.608+5.46 and Coping Self-Efficacy Score 157.514+ 37.35.The study reveals that stress was more common among stu- dents having low Coping Self-Efficacy Scores and low stress among students having more Coping Self-Efficacy Scores, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: The study gives us an understanding of the stress and the coping strategies used by undergraduate medical students to manage stress. There is a further need to analyze the source of stressors.To combat stress students need to consider relaxation measures, proper rest, good sleep and timely food intake.
Stress coping mechanisms practiced by medical undergraduates of a State Medical School in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences
Identifying the coping mechanisms practiced by the medical students is of importance and must be explored to promote healthy stress coping methods. Hence, a descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken with a sample of 410 medical students from a State Medical School in Sri Lanka. The research question of the study focused on identifying the different coping methods practiced by medical students. A questionnaire with 2 parts, A and B, was used to collect data on stress coping methods used by the study participants. The study also obtained data on the effectiveness of popular stress coping methods from the users. The responses for the questions in part A showed a trend of positive outlook in all general aspects of life except for one question, which directly questioned the ability of students to cope with stress imposed by the academic programme. Based on the results from part B of the questionnaire, the most common and widely used stress coping mechanisms included sleeping, listening to music and talking with friends and family. Effective coping strategies identified to minimize stress were religious activities like praying/worshiping and meditation. Moreover, seeking advice from lecturers, seniors, going home and engaging in sports and games were also found to be effective in lessening stress. In conclusion, facilities for students to involve in religious activities such as prayers and meditation shall be available in the Faculty. Getting counseling and involving in sports also appear to alleviate stress and these should be integrated into the life of medical students.
INDIAN PSYCHIATRIC SOCIETY , 2018
Introduction: Medical students face a number of stressors because of time pressure, which affects their academic performance and quality of life. Previous studies have shown that coping reduce the level of stress among medical students. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the level of stress and coping mechanism among medical students. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 first-year medical students at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh (130 males and 70 females), were invited to fill in a self-administered questionnaire in the 2017–2018 academic year. The questionnaire comprised of 12 items on stress factors and 10 items on coping strategies. The responses were measured quantitatively on a five-point Likert scale. Result and Discussion: The response rate was high. Different stress factors and coping strategies were identified by students. The prevalence of perceived stress among medical students was high. This might affect not only their academic performance but also other aspects of their life as well. There is a wide range of strategies for coping with stress that could play an important role in helping students to cope with stress. Keywords: Coping, medical students, stress