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Stress, coping, and well-being among third-year medical students
T H Mosley1, S G Perrin, S M Neral
1Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson 39216-4505.
Summary
Medical students experience significant stress, depression, and somatic distress. Engagement coping strategies were linked to fewer depressive symptoms, suggesting potential interventions for student well-being.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Background:
- Medical school presents a highly stressful environment.
- Student well-being, academic performance, and health are negatively impacted by this stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine stress, coping mechanisms, depression, and somatic distress in third-year medical students.
- To understand the relationship between coping strategies and psychological distress.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 69 third-year medical students using validated scales for stress, coping, depression, and somatic distress.
- Employed correlational analysis and hierarchical regression to analyze the data.
Main Results:
- 23% of students exhibited clinical depression; 57% reported high somatic distress.
- Stress explained 29-50% of distress variance.
- Engagement coping strategies correlated with fewer depressive symptoms, while disengagement strategies correlated with more.
Conclusions:
- Training medical students in engagement coping strategies may reduce depressive symptoms.
- Interventions focused on adaptive coping can mitigate the adverse effects of stress in medical education.