The relationships among self-care, dispositional mindfulness, and psychological distress in medical students
Jessica Slonim1,2, Mandy Kienhuis3, Mirella Di Benedetto3
1Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Background:
Past research suggests that medical students experience high levels of psychological distress.
Objective:
The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationships among engagement in self-care behaviours, dispositional mindfulness, and psychological distress.
Methods:
The sample consisted of 139 female and 68 male Australian medical students (N=207) aged 17-41 years (M=21.82, SD=3.62) across the 5 years of the Monash University medical course. Participants completed an online survey comprising a demographics questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales.
Results:
Results revealed significant and interpretable multivariate correlations between distress and both mindfulness and self-care. Furthermore, the dispositional mindfulness observation subscale was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between several dimensions of self-care and psychological distress.
Conclusions:
The present study points to the potential of self-care and mindfulness to decrease medical student distress and enhance well-being.
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