Association of Academic Stress, Acne Symptoms and Other Physical Symptoms in Medical Students of King Khalid University

Abstract

Academic stress has varied effects on medical student life due to multiple factors, like study load, competition, frequent assessment, social pressure, etc. The authors of this paper conducted research to find the academic stress level and its sequel over acne and other physical symptoms on the medical students of King Khalid University (KKU), Saudi Arabia. A total of 168 participant responses were analyzed. Data collection was performed using a self-administered online questionnaire through the university website portal. The study tool was comprised of four sections: demographic characteristics, academic stress, acne symptoms, and other physical symptoms. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. A high proportion of females (88.7%) participated in the study. Upon categorization of overall academic stress, it was found that a majority of the medical students were moderately stressed (58.34%). The response on the academic stress scale revealed that exams are the major cause of stress among students. The Mean ± SD of academic stress, acne symptoms, and physical symptoms differ significantly at <0.01 level of significance. Overall academic stress showed a significant positive association with acne (<0.01) and physical symptoms (<0.01). The strength of this study is the fact that its categorization of stress caused by academics has not been done elsewhere. In addition, the impact of acne and physical symptoms has not been found in recent literature. Keeping the outcome of the present study in mind, it is suggested to arrange timely counselling sessions in medical colleges which can alert medical students to remain conscious about the consequences of stress.

The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Academic Stress among Medical Students of King Khalid University: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

“…The responses on the academic stress scale revealed that exams were the major cause of stress among students. In addition, overall academic stress was significantly positively associated with acne and physical symptoms [20].…”

Exploring Stress-Induced Mechanisms in Acne Pathogenesis

“…Stress-related dietary habits and sleep deprivation increase systemic and skin-speci c in ammation, worsening acne severity. Neglecting skincare routines and improper use of skincare products can damage the skin barrier, making it more susceptible to acne-causing bacteria and environmental irritants [13,124,125].…”

Fatigue Syndrome (FS) Prevalence among Saudi Medical Students and Its Association with Depressive and Anxious Symptoms

“…In addition to the symptom causing enormous tragedies to the families, the unexpected death brought on by chronic fatigue has detrimental effects on social production [6]. Among the students, there are several factors that contribute to fatigue syndrome, including the amount of work they are engaged in, level of competition, frequent evaluations tests, and peer pressure [7]. Further, it is noted that the level of fatigue experienced by the students during an ongoing semester session and at the end of semester is based on the level of depression experienced during the semester session which also affects their functioning and health of affected students [8].…”