Exploring the relationship between medical student basic psychological need satisfaction, resilience, and well-being: a quantitative study

Abstract

BackgroundThere is increasing acknowledgment that medical training is stressful for students and can impact their well-being. An important aspect of this is self-determination and basic psychological need satisfaction. A better understanding of how medical student perceptions of the learning environment impacts their basic psychological needs for motivation, resilience, and well-being may help to create learning environments that support the needs of medical students and help them become better healthier physicians. We aim to add to the literature on this topic by examining this relationship through the lens of Self-Determination Theory.MethodsA total of 400 students from all 4 years of the medical program at our institution were invited to complete an anonymous online survey, measuring basic need satisfaction/frustration (autonomy, competence, relatedness) within the learning environment, resilience, and psychological well-being. We used analysis of variance to assess the effect of gender, age, and year on all variables, with t-tests to compare subgroups. Structural equation modelling was performed to test a hypothesized model in which support of medical students’ basic needs would positively relate to their resilience and well-being.ResultsThe response rate was 183/400 (46%). After data cleaning, 160 remained: 67 males (42%) and 93 females (58%). There were 67 first years (42%), 35 second years (22%), 30 third years (19%), and 28 fourth years (18%). The sample mean age was 25.8 years (SD = 4.1). A well-fitting model was confirmed to fit the data, χ2 = 3.15, df = 3, p = 0.369, RMSEA = 0.018, SRMR = 0.022, CFI = 0.999. Autonomy and relatedness satisfaction exerted direct effects on well-being. Competence satisfaction did so indirectly, through its direct effect on resilience. Female medical students had lower resilience scores compared to their male peers.ConclusionsWhen medical students perceived their learning environment as supportive to their basic needs, it was associated with an increase in their psychological well-being. Satisfaction of competence, but not autonomy or relatedness, predicted an increase in their resilience. Fostering medical students’ basic needs for motivation, especially competence, is recommended to support their resilience and well-being. Further research is required to generalize these results further.

Physical Activity and Resilience among College Students: The Mediating Effects of Basic Psychological Needs

“…Engaging in physical activity may acquire these social experiences, such as cooperation, obtaining feedback, and supporting the success of each other, which help to meet the participants’ needs for competence [ 34 ]. In line with the previous research [ 26 ], we found that competence need satisfaction was positively correlated with psychological resilience. To demonstrate greater resilience, individuals need to expend a lot of cognitive and behavioral effort [ 53 ].…”

“…It has been found to be significantly and positively correlated with resilience [ 24 , 25 ]. Neufeld and Malin have suggested that competence need satisfaction is associated with an increase in college students’ resilience and it likely represents a valuable avenue for supporting resilience [ 26 ]. In addition, physical activity has been supposed to be correlated with the satisfaction of competence need [ 27 , 28 ].…”

How medical students cope with stress: a cross-sectional look at strategies and their sociodemographic antecedents

“…As mentioned, a potentially important avenue for achieving this may involve finding ways to facilitate more autonomy for medical learners during their clerkship (e.g., see Neufeld and Malin [79]). Studies suggest that promoting medical learner autonomy may also reduce their perceived stress and increase their ability to be mindful and resilient, which are also key to healthy coping and well-being [76,80,81]. Because third year inevitably involves more administrative tasks (i.e., organizing clinical electives and residency applications), which are increasingly being recognized as underrated sources of stress for medical students, we would also echo others' suggestions to focus on addressing systems-level changes in medical education [52].…”

Alive and Well: Encouraging Long Term Health Habits Through Implementation of Student Driven Wellness Programs in Medical Schools

“…Additionally, mindfulness and group meditation are actively encouraged as previous studies have shown a significant relationship between these activities and reduced rates of anxiety and burnout in healthcare professionals. 25 …”