“Medical Student Syndrome”—A Myth or a Real Disease Entity? Cross-Sectional Study of Medical Students of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland

Abstract

The description of Medical Student Syndrome is based on the assumption that inexperienced medical students are prone to develop a pathological fear of medical conditions they are taught about. The aim of this study is to examine the sample of students (medical and non-medical) in order to assess and compare their level of hypochondriacal attitudes and health-related anxiety. We also examined other factors which might have had an influence on hypochondria and nosophobia attitudes among students. Methods: The study was conducted in two groups of students: 313 medical students at the Medical University of Silesia and 293 students at non-medical universities in Katowice, Poland. The study used the medical student syndrome self-explanatory questionnaire constructed for the study, taking into account the specificity of the group and the research problem. The research questionnaire was completed in an online survey by 606 students. Results: The results of the study showed that medical students obtained the same scores on a nosophobic scale as the non-medical students (p = 0.5). The analysis of hypochondriacal behavior showed significantly higher results in the non-medical student group (p = 0.02). In the entire study group, females and participants with mental disorders obtained higher scores in relation to nosophobia. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were more common in the group of medical students. Conclusions: Medical studies are not a risk factor for the occurrence of health anxiety and hypochondrial attitudes. Such factors are female gender and having a mental illness.

High prevalence and risk factors of dropout intention among Chinese medical postgraduates

“…Moreover, after the outbreak of COVID-19, 11 out of 14 studies reported that medical students had better or similar mental health status in China, Poland, France, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, when compared with non-medical students [ 49 , 66–75 ], which was in line with our study. Only three studies showed a significantly higher level of depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and stress among medical students [ 63 , 76 , 77 ]. Taken together, the above findings might suggest that medical students were not at a higher risk of mental distress compared with their peers in non-medical majors.…”

A comparative study to assess hypochondrial attitude among nursing and other department students of Eternal University Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh

“…But non-medical universities in Katowice, shows that the percentage showing susceptibility to hypochondria and nosophobia symptoms are high compare to the students of medicine. 9 But our present study shows that the medical students i.e., nursing students are more susceptible to hypochondrial attitude. A cross sectional study was conducted to assess increased frequency of health anxiety in health science students and non-health science students in a Greek university.…”

Effects of Online Mental Health Classes on Mental Health and Stigma: a Controlled Before-After Study with 1-Month Follow-Up

“…This is similar to a more established notion of "medical student syndrome", where medical students develop symptoms that relate to the diseases they are studying [14]. Although research about the mental health aspect of the medical student syndrome remains to be evaluated [15], a serious concern was raised [16]. Indeed, the medical students' syndrome-medical students falsely relate themselves with a health condition that they are learning, impacting their health negatively [14]-may apply to the mental health contexts too.…”