Academic stress in medical students

Background: Stress is a natural mechanism against changes. Stress at an acceptable level plays a vital and fundamental role in the movement and development of a person and is considered an essential part of human life, while excessive stress is considered an obstacle to progress and an inhibiting factor and is the root of many physical problems and diseases which it is mental and spiritual. Academic problems are one of the most common sources of academic stress in medical students. Regarding the importance of academic stress, it can be stated that academic stress affects the mental and physical health of students and their ability to effectively complete schoolwork. High levels of academic stress lead to negative psychological, emotional and physical outcomes such as sleepiness, weakened immune system and illness, and ultimately lead to academic failure. Therefore, in this study, academic stress in medical students investigated. Methods: This study was descriptive-analytical (cross-sectional) in which ۱۸۶ medical students of a larger University of Medical Sciences participated in the research. The data was collected using academic stress questionnaire. This tool had face and content validity and its reliability has been calculated ۷۹% by Alpha Cronbach. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS ۲۶ software. Findings: The findings showed that the number of female students and male students who participated were relatively the same. The frequency of different educational levels was as follows: Physiopathology was ۵.۹%, basic science was ۳۵.۵%, stager was ۳۰.۱% and intern was ۲۸.۵%. The average academic stress of medical students was ۵۰.۰۸, which is average, and the lowest score was ۱۹ and the highest score was ۶۸. The average academic stress, anxiety, despair, self-expectation and work pressure were ۱۳.۷۱, ۹.۱۷, ۹.۲۵, ۹.۱۷ and ۸.۷۶ respectively. Conclusion: There is a statistically significant relationship between educational levels and academic stress. These results can help educational institutions managers provide appropriate programs and solutions to prevent academic cheating and reduce academic stress at every level of education.

کلیدواژه ها:

Academic stress ، medical students