scholarly journals Perceived Stress among Undergraduate Medical Students and its Determinants: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Teaching Hospital in West Bengal

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (02) ◽  
pp. 52-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Samanta ◽  
S. Ghosh

Stress among medical students is a growing concern worldwide. The objectives were to assess the perceived stress, its sources and its pattern among undergraduate medical students and to find out determinants of stress among them. This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 225 undergraduate medical students of three academic years of Bankura Sammilani medical college during March-June 2015.Data were collected using a pretested, semistructured, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire which consisted of Perceived Stress Scale -10 for assessment of stress . Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) model was adopted to find determinants of stress. Proportion of stressed students was 38.2% and mean stress score was 18.41(SD±6.22). Female students were more stressed than male students. About 80% of students perceived ‘vast syllabus’ and ‘lack of attention and time from teacher’ as stressors. Around 50% of students reported ‘Worry about future’, ‘Own expectation of becoming doctor’, ‘Inadequate quantity and quality of food in hostel’ and ‘Lack of recreation’ as stressors. ‘Disturbed in-campus political environment’ was perceived as a source of stress by 42.2% students. In BLR model, only five stressors, ‘Relationship problem with partner/love affair’, ‘Quarrel/maladjustment with friends’, ‘Living away from home’, ‘Competitive environment’, ‘Lack of attention and time from teachers’ were found statistically significant. Most of the stressors were related to academic and psychological domains. Regular review and restructuring of medical curriculum, implementing in-campus health promotional measures for students to cope with stress are needed to address the issue.

Author(s):  
Kevin A. John ◽  
Poonam R. Naik

Background: Medical students have been reported to suffer from higher perceived stress compared to general population and students in the other academic fields. The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of stress and to identify the potential stressors among undergraduate medical students using perceived stress scale (PSS).Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 301 undergraduate medical students at a private medical college in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka. The extent of the stress was assessed using PSS-10 and a questionnaire was used to identify the potential academic, psychosocial and environmental stressors.Results: The mean PSS score was found to be 26.34±3 in this study. Moderate stress was observed in 68% of the study participants. The PSS score was higher among the 2nd year MBBS students. Stress was observed more among female medical students (74%). Inadequate study leave (92.4%), vastness of academic curriculum (84.1%), poor quality of food in mess or home (70.4%), accommodation away from home (60.1%) and high parental expectations (48.5%) were found to be the potential stressors in this study.Conclusions: The study results thereby highlight the need to plan tailored interventions to address the various stressors and prevent stress among the medical students. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-30
Author(s):  
Aparna Rizyal ◽  
JS Sunrait ◽  
A Mishal

 Refractive error is a defect in the optical system of the eye which prevents light from being brought to a single point focus on the retina, thus reducing normal vision. This optical defect is the second most common cause of visual impairment globally as well in Nepal. At present, there are 285 million visually impaired people in the world. An estimated 4 out of 5 visual impairment (80%) can be prevented or cured, uncorrected refractive errors are the leading cause (42%) followed by cataract (33%). A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to determine the proportion of undergraduate medical students with refractive errors in Nepal Medical College, and to identify factors associated with it. A total of 210 medical students volunteered for this study, with 100 males (47.6%) and 110 females (52.4%). The age of these students were between 18 to 26 years, with an average of 20.5 years. The proportion of medical students with refractive error was slightly more than half (51.4%), with simple myopia being the leading type (42.9%), followed by astigmatism (7.1%) and simple hypermetropia (1.4%). Parental history of refractive error was observed to be significantly associated with that of the medical students. There was also a significant association between refractive error and the daily use of mobile phones and laptops. However, years spent in medical education were not observed to be significant.


2017 ◽  
Vol 07 (01) ◽  
pp. 007-011
Author(s):  
Sanjay Kini ◽  
Muthukumar R. ◽  
Rakesh G. Maiya ◽  
Nishanth Krishna K. ◽  
N. Udaya Kiran

Abstract Introduction: Research experience gained by medical students during their under graduate tenure plays a significant role in their future endeavours in the field of medical research. The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted to know the attitudes and perceptions towards research among final year medical students in a private medical college. Methods: A total of 220 students participated in the study. Results: The majority of the students agreed that research is important in the medical field (88.6%, 195/220). The majority also believed that research methodology to be part of medical curriculum (72.7%, 160/220). 31.8% (70/220) felt that Research methodology will be helpful to enter competitive exams (USMLE, PLAB). The barriers for conducting research as believed by students were: Lack of interest (32.7%, 72/220), Lack of time (31.4%, 135/220), Inadequate knowledge about research methodology (51.4%, 113/230), Lack of guidance by faculties (27.7%, 61/220), Lack of research curriculum (34.1%, 75/230) Inadequate facilities for research (35.5%, 78/220), Inadequate financial support (30.9%, 68/220) and others 2.9% (6/220). Of the participating students, 23.2% (51/220) participated in research during medical school, while 76.8% (179/220) did not. Conclusion: Medical colleges should emphasize more on research among the undergraduate students. There is a need to reform the medical curriculum with more weightage towards research methodology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
Pratibha Manandhar ◽  
Naresh Manandhar ◽  
Sunil Kumar Joshi

Background and Objectives: Due to Covid-19 lockdown period undergraduate medical institutions across the country are moving towards e-learning for continuity of education. The purpose of this study is to determine the perceptions of students towards e-learning and to analyze medical students’ perception on e-learning vs. conventional learning. Materials and Method: This was a descriptive cross sectional study conducted by distributing an online semi-structured questionnaire consisting Likert scale to undergraduate medical students of Kathmandu Medical College. Data assembled from the survey were analyzed and Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 24 version software was used for data analysis. Result: A total of 273 students were enrolled in this study. Most of the students, 83.9% (229) had the perception that conventional teaching method was the best method for learning as compared to e-learning method 16.1% (44). The students mentioned that conventional method of learning is more effective to increase knowledge than e -learning (M= 3.87, M= 2.80) which was statistically significant (p=0.000). Conclusion: E-learning was the only option for students to study during lockdown period. But students preferred conventional method of learning as compared to e-learning. It might be due to some disadvantages of e-learning, eg. Technical difficulties, lack of interaction with teacher  and patients, etc. So, these measures have to be addressed for improving e-learning for betterment of teaching-learning activity during these types of circumstances in future.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roshini Jain ◽  
Ch Chiech Chang ◽  
Mpho Koto ◽  
Alden Geldenhuys ◽  
Richard Nichol ◽  
...  

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Faced with demanding training programmes, medical students may be more prone to use methylphenidate for non-medical purposes in order to improve concentration, alertness and academic performance.</p><p><strong>Aim:</strong> The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the non-medical use of methylphenidate and knowledge of this drug among undergraduate medical students of the University of the Free State.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a cross-sectional study. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was distributed during lectures to all students in the five year groups of the undergraduate medical programme.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Of the 643 undergraduate medical students, 541 completed the questionnaire (response rate: 84.1%). Approximately 11.0% of surveyed students were using methylphenidate at the time of the study, of which the majority (67.9%) used it for academic purposes and 70.6% received it from a medical health professional. Less than a third of users had been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Methylphenidate users’ median knowledge was greater than non-users, and methylphenidate knowledge increased from first-year and second-year students to third-year to fifth-year students. Median knowledge scores per year group ranged from 52.0% to 60.0%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Methylphenidate is mainly used for non-medical purposes by medical students. Students generally have a low level of knowledge on methylphenidate. Specific information on methylphenidate should be included in lectures on stress management and study methods during the course of the medical curriculum.</p>


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