Alexithymia and coping strategies among medical students

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S695-S695 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Messedi ◽  
I. Feki ◽  
B.N. Saguem ◽  
R. Masmoudi ◽  
J. Masmoudi
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ways Of Coping ◽  
University Life ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Tas 20

IntroductionUniversity life is stressful for the student, which is characterized by disturbed emotional regulation or alexithymia. To face these stressful events he must use certain coping strategies.ObjectivesStudying the prevalence of alexithymia and exploring coping strategies among medical students, and establish the relationship between these parameters.MethodsIt was a cross-sectional study of 97 students in Sfax university medicine (Tunisia). We used:– a questionnaire containing demographic and clinical data;– Toronto alexithymia Scale (TAS-20): a score ≥61 indicates alexithymia;– WCC (Ways of Coping Checklist-r Folkman) with 3 factors: problem-focused, emotion-focused and social support coping.ResultsThe average age of participants was 24.07 years (±2.71); the sex ratio (M/W) was 0.4. They were smoking in 36.1% and sedentary in 43.3% of case. They had a nibbling activity in 57.7%. The average score of TAS-20 was 50. 92 10.46 and alexithymia was found in 16.5% of students. Alexithymia was significantly correlated with smoking (P = 0.003) and physical inactivity (P = 0.025). Most students (72.2%) opted for problem-focused ways of coping with a highest score at WCC = 29.21. A significant correlation was found between alexithymia and coping strategy with emotion-focused (P = 0.02). The TAS score was significantly higher among students who resort to this ways of coping = 26.11. (P = 0.002).ConclusionThis study explored the role of alexithymia in stress management ubiquitous in university life. A high level of alexithymia could be a detrimental factor in stress management. Psychological support aimed specifically alexithymic dimension is indispensable.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Evaluation and Comparison of Medical Students Stressors and Coping Strategies among Undergraduate Preclinical and Clinical Year Students Enrolled in Medical School of Arsi University, Southeast Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Leta Melaku ◽  
Guta Bulcha
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Medical School ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Active Coping ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
And Coping

Background. The transition into higher education is stressful as university students face many stressful events. Medical students must deal with stressors specific to medical education. While many students adjust effectively to the university context, large proportions of students are at risk of developing mental health problems. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the most common medical student’s stressors and coping strategies among undergraduate students enrolled in the Medical School of Arsi University and their association with educational year levels. Methods. An Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted on 265 medical students by systematic random sampling. Data were collected by pretested self-administrative questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS-21 software. Logistic regression analysis was employed, and statistical significance was accepted at p < 0.05 . Result. In the present study, 5 questionnaires were rejected for incompleteness, giving a response rate of 98.1%. The top sources of stress were lack of time to review, conflict with teacher(s), and uncertainty of what was expected. ARS domain was the main cause of high stress, followed by IRS and TLRS. Religious coping, active coping, positive reframing, and planning were the most commonly used coping strategies. When preclinical year students were compared with the clinical years, TLRS and DRS domains were identified as the most common cause of stress in the preclinical years. Furthermore, instrumental support, behavioral disengagement, acceptance, religion, self-blame, and emotional support were the most commonly used coping strategies in the preclinical years compared to the clinical years. Conclusion. We observed that academic-related stressors followed by interpersonal and intrapersonal stressors are the major stressors faced by students. Active coping strategies were the most commonly employed ones rather than avoidant strategies. Stress reduction interventions were recommended.

scholarly journals Prepared and highly committed despite the risk of COVID-19 infection: a cross-sectional survey of primary care physicians’ concerns and coping strategies in Singapore

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerrald Lau ◽  
David Hsien-Yung Tan ◽  
Gretel Jianlin Wong ◽  
Yii-Jen Lew ◽  
Ying-Xian Chua ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
And Coping

Abstract Background Primary care physicians (PCPs) are first points-of-contact between suspected cases and the healthcare system in the current COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines PCPs’ concerns, impact on personal lives and work, and level of pandemic preparedness in the context of COVID-19 in Singapore. We also examine factors and coping strategies that PCPs have used to manage stress during the outbreak. Methods Two hundred and sixteen PCPs actively practicing in either a public or private clinic were cluster sampled via email invitation from three primary care organizations in Singapore from 6th to 29th March 2020. Participants completed a cross-sectional online questionnaire consisting of items on work- and non-work-related concerns, impact on personal and work life, perceived pandemic preparedness, stress-reduction factors, and personal coping strategies related to COVID-19. Results A total of 158 questionnaires were usable for analyses. PCPs perceived themselves to be at high risk of COVID-19 infection (89.9%), and a source of risk (74.7%) and concern (71.5%) to loved ones. PCPs reported acceptance of these risks (91.1%) and the need to care for COVID-19 patients (85.4%). Overall perceived pandemic preparedness was extremely high (75.9 to 89.9%). PCPs prioritized availability of personal protective equipment, strict infection prevention guidelines, accessible information about COVID-19, and well-being of their colleagues and family as the most effective stress management factors. Conclusions PCPs continue to serve willingly on the frontlines of this pandemic despite the high perception of risk to themselves and loved ones. Healthcare organizations should continue to support PCPs by managing both their psychosocial (e.g. stress management) and professional (e.g. pandemic preparedness) needs.

scholarly journals Psychological Distress and Coping Strategies Among Clinicians and Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Guilan, Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Monfared ◽  
Leila Akhondzadeh ◽  
Robabeh Soleimani ◽  
Saman Maroufizadeh ◽  
Somaye Pouy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Distress Scale

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic can lead to psychological distress among clinicians and medical students due to the possibility of disease transmission and closure of educational centers. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the extent of psychological distress and coping strategies among clinicians and medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Rasht, Iran. Methods: Using the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K10), this cross-sectional analytical study evaluated psychological distress and coping strategies among 109 clinicians and medical students working in Razi Hospital of Rasht, Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. The K10 scale has 10 items with a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 5 (always); the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated as 0.771. Also, to examine the coping strategies, a 10-item researcher-made checklist was used (CVI = 0.79; CVR = 0.82). The questionnaires were distributed by e-mail from May to June, 2020. After entering the data into SPSS software (version 20), the data were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Results: The mean age of the responders was 36.14 years (SD = 10.68). The mean K10 total scores was 12.94 (SD = 7.64). There was a significant negative correlation between age and K10 total scores (r = -0.397, P < 0.001). Single participants had a higher K10 total score compared with married ones (P = 0.003). Furthermore, interns had a higher K10 total score compared with residents (P = 0.012) and faculty members (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Since interns are at a higher risk of psychological distress due to less work experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, continuous monitoring of psychological distress and teaching coping strategies in crisis situations should be included in the training curriculum and educational courses of this group.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in Stress and Coping Among Adults Living in Hawai`i

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A. Gentry ◽  
Jane J. Chung ◽  
Nandar Aung ◽  
Stefan Keller ◽  
Katie M. Heinrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Adaptive Coping ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Stress Levels ◽  
And Coping

Background and purpose. Stress has been recognized as a public health problem. However, little research has been done on gender differences in sources of stress and coping strategies in Hawaii. In this study, we hypothesized that: 1) women will report higher levels of stress than men; 2) women will report being stressed by family and health related stressors while men will report stress related to finances and work-related issues; 3) women will report using adaptive coping strategies more frequently while men will report using maladaptive and avoidance strategies more frequently; 4) there will be no gender differences in the readiness to use stress management strategies. Method. A statewide cross-sectional telephone-survey of 1518 participants was conducted during the spring and summer of 2006. Results. Women reported higher overall perceived stress levels, but there was no difference in the experienced social stressors and health stressors between genders. Men perceived more stress from personal factors. There were no gender differences in the perceived ability to cope with stress. However, women were more likely to use adaptive coping strategies, whereas men were more likely to use maladaptive and avoidance coping strategies. There were no significant gender differences in stages of change for stress management. Conclusion. Based on this study, interventions can be developed to help people better cope with stress. Interventions for women may focus on increasing the use of adaptive strategies such as praying and talking to friends and family, while interventions for men may introduce the use of adaptive coping strategies such as exercise and actively fighting causes of stress. This study shows that gender differences in stress levels and coping in Hawaii are similar to previous studies conducted on the mainland. More research into specific stressors and coping strategies may help tailor interventions that are more effective and comprehensive.

scholarly journals STRESS, STRESSORS, AND COPING STRATEGIES BETWEEN PRE-CLINICAL AND CLINICAL MEDICAL STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITI TUNKU ABDUL RAHMAN

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-183
Author(s):  
Retneswari Masilamani ◽  
Mohammed Abdulrazzaq Jabbar ◽  
Chang Swee Liang ◽  
Hilary Lim Song You ◽  
Lai Jian Kai Jonathan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
General Health Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brief Cope ◽  
Study Population ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

Stress in medical education has been inevitable among medical students. However, the prevalence of stress among pre-clinical and clinical medical students differed by year of study. There were several stressors reported to affect medical students. Therefore, effective coping strategies were applied to manage the stress faced by medical students. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of stress, stressors and coping strategies comparing pre-clinical and clinical Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) medical students, and the associated stressors and stress among them. This was a cross-sectional study with a study population of 223 medical students. Universal sampling was used. A self-administered questionnaire which included socio-demographic characteristics, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Medical Students Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) and the Brief COPE Inventory were used in this study. The overall prevalence of stress among medical students was 48.15%. Clinical students had a higher prevalence of stress (53.73%) compared to pre-clinical students (39.02%). Year 3 students had the highest prevalence of stress (64.58%) compared to other years of study. Nearly 1 out of 2 medical students were stressed (48.15%). Academic Related Stressor ranked the highest and Acceptance was the most practiced coping strategy. The only associated stressor with stress was Academic Related Stressor.

scholarly journals Sources of Stress and Coping Strategies among Undergraduate Medical Students Enrolled in a Problem-Based Learning Curriculum

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samira S. Bamuhair ◽  
Ali I. Al Farhan ◽  
Alaa Althubaiti ◽  
Sajida Agha ◽  
Saeed ur Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Personal Strengths ◽  
And Coping

Background. Medical education is rated as one of the most difficult trainings to endure. Throughout their undergraduate years, medical students face numerous stressors. Coping with these stressors requires access to a variety of resources, varying from personal strengths to social support. We aimed to explore the perceived stress, stressors, and coping strategies employed by medical students studying in a problem-based learning curriculum. Methodology. This is a cross-sectional study of randomly selected medical students that explored demographics, perceived stress scale, sources of stress, and coping strategies. Results. Of the 378 medical students that participated in the study, males were 59.3% and females 40.7%. Nearly 53% of the students often felt stressed, and a third felt that they could not cope with stress. Over 82% found studying stressful and 64.3% were not sleeping well. Half of the students reported low self-esteem. Perceived stress scores were statistically significantly high for specific stressors of studying in general, worrying about future, interpersonal conflict, and having low self-esteem. Coping strategies that were statistically significantly applied more often were blaming oneself and being self-critical, seeking advice and help from others, and finding comfort in religion. Female students were more stressed than males but they employ more coping strategies as well. Conclusions. Stress is very common among medical students. Most of the stressors are from coursework and interpersonal relationships. Low self-esteem coupled with self-blame and self-criticism is quite common.

Medical Students’ Stress, Psychological Morbidity, and Coping Strategies: a Cross-Sectional Study from Pakistan

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazish Imran ◽  
Khaula Fatima Tariq ◽  
Muhammad Ijaz Pervez ◽  
Masood Jawaid ◽  
Imran Ijaz Haider
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Psychological Morbidity ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
And Coping

scholarly journals Educational stress and coping strategies among medical students.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (08) ◽  
pp. 1575-1581
Author(s):  
Ali Hammad ◽  
Muhammad Naeem ◽  
Saba Yasmeen Usmani ◽  
Wajahat Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Stress Level ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Stress And Coping ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
And Coping

Objectives: Students acquiring professional education have to face many challenges, most important of them is the stress related to their studies which when compounded by the absence of appropriate coping strategies makes a huge impact on their personal and professional lives. The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of stress related to professional education, on the medical MBBS students and various coping strategies used by them. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur. Period: January 2019 to June 2019. Material & Methods: To investigate the ongoing professional education related stress and coping strategies among students doing MBBS. A total of 500 students participated in this study. The tools used were Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS14) and ACOPE to measure the stress level and coping strategies among the students and data was analyzed using the SPSS -22 statistical program. Results: The study showed that majority of students had PSS score ranging between 34 to 59 with an average PSS-14 score of 45.5. Major bulk of students had a score of 45 which reflects a high stress level among the students. The average measured ACOPE score was 156±20.4 which indicated a moderate level of abilities of the students to cope with the stress. Conclusion: This study concluded that professional studies related stress is very common among medical students and generally they are not skilled enough to use effective coping strategies to cope, which adversely affects their performance in professional life as well as personal lives.

What relationship between eating disorders and alexithymia among medical students?

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S557-S557
Author(s):  
N. Messedi ◽  
I. Feki ◽  
R. Masmoudi ◽  
B.N. Saguem ◽  
J. Masmoudi
Keyword(s):  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Physical Inactivity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Eating Attitudes ◽  
Average Score ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
University Medicine ◽  
Eat 26 ◽  
Tas 20

IntroductionThe student population seems to be vulnerable to eating disorders (ED) but is this in relation to their ability to express their emotions or alexithymia?ObjectivesStudying the prevalence of ED and alexithymia among medical students, and establish the relationship between these entities.MethodsIt was a cross-sectional study of 97 students in Sfax University Medicine (Tunisia). We used:– a questionnaire containing demographic and clinical data;– Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26): a score ≥ 20 indicates ED;– Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20): a score ≥ 61 indicates alexithymia.ResultsThe average age of participants was 24.07 years (± 2.71); the sex ratio (M/W) was 0.4. Their average BMI was 22.85 kg/m2 (± 3.36). They were smoking in 36.1% and sedentary in 43.3% of case. They had a nibbling activity in 57.7%. The average score of the EAT-26 was 11.66 ± 8.66 and prevalence of TCA was 19.6%. The average score of TAS-20 was 50.92, 0.46 and alexithymia was found in 16.5% of students. ED was significantly correlated with nibbling (P = 0.02), BMI or overweight (P = 0.012), smoking (P = 0.006) and physical inactivity (P < 0.00). Also alexithymia was significantly correlated with smoking (P = 0.003) and physical inactivity (P = 0.025). A significant correlation was found between alexithymia and ED (P = 0.008).ConclusionIt is clear from our study an association between alexithymia and the ED. Psychological support aimed specifically alexithymic dimension is indispensable, not only for decreasing the emergence of ED but also contributing to lower any addictive behavior.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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