Appraisal and Consequences of Cadaver Dissection
Martin Dempster1, Alexander Black2, Noleen McCorry1
1a School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast.
Medical Education Online
|March 4, 2017
Summary
Most anatomy students cope well with cadaver dissection, but a small minority experience adverse psychological effects. Low-cost desensitization programs may benefit these students facing dissection stressors.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychology
Background:
- First-time human cadaver dissection can be a significant stressor for anatomy students.
- Potential psychological trauma necessitates understanding student reactions and influencing factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between students' experiences with cadaver dissection and psychological/personal factors.
- To assess emotional reactions and coping strategies post-dissection.
Main Methods:
- Administered questionnaires on emotional reactions, coping, personality, and death attitudes to 141 medical students.
- Assessed emotional reactions to recalling the experience 4 months later.
Main Results:
- Most students found dissection challenging but did not report severe emotional difficulties.
- A minority (10/141) experienced serious adverse consequences from the dissection experience.
Conclusions:
- Anatomy students may possess inherent psychological preparedness for cadaver dissection.
- Low-cost desensitization programs could support the minority experiencing adverse reactions.
