The root of the problem: identifying major sources of stress in Brazilian medical students and developing the Medical Student Stress Factor Scale

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the most common sources of stress faced by medical students and the degree to which different stressors impact their lives. As a secondary objective, a new instrument, Medical Student Stress Factor Scale (MSSF), was developed based on these stressors. Methods: The MSSF was applied to 431 medical students. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale was administered to investigate the relationship between these stressors and the students' mental health. Results: The five greatest stressors were the extensive content, lack of time to study, sleep deprivation, excessive self-pressure for good grades, and lack of leisure time. The MSSF showed good psychometric characteristics, resulting in a 28-item scale with five subscales. The Relationships and Health subscales were associated with depressive symptoms; Relationships, Health, and Learning Environment/Academic Performance were associated with anxiety symptoms, while Health, and Learning Environment/Academic Performance were associated with stress symptoms. Conclusions: Our study presents important data about the most important stressors that affect medical students' lives and cause mental health issues. The factors are generally related to academic performance and the learning environment and should be targeted in future interventions.

A importância da qualidade do sono no processo de aprendizagem em estudantes da área de saúde: uma revisão integrativa

“…Ficam evidentes que os estudantes apresentam as consequências da privação do sono observadas de modo geral em humanos de várias faixas etárias e gênero. Em específico, a principal reclamação dos estudantes é o estresse causado por falta de tempo de estudo, pressão infringida a si mesmo por bons resultados, pouco tempo para lazer (Damiano, 2021). As reclamações acima podem ser direcionadas para as causas de algumas patologias metabólicas devido ao aumento do tempo de vigília que desequilibra os ciclos hormonais gerais causando fome e aumento do apetite com possíveis consequências como o ganho de peso e obesidade (Alvarado-Fernández et al, 2012) e ansiedade que pode incorrer em compulsão alimentar e aumento do consumo de bebidas alcoólicas e drogas (Castilho, 2015;Al-Khani, 2019).…”

“…Nesse sentido, as relações sociais são influenciadoras ou inibidoras de traços comportamentais, em consequência, um comportamento que leve à privação do sono num meio acadêmico, pode ser estimulado pelo conjunto das pessoas que sofrem do mesmo problema levando o indivíduo a seguir os padrões até mesmo para ser aceito dentro desse meio, levando a um processo comportamental em que o sofrimento pode ser visto como uma ação necessária e de coragem para a manutenção da responsabilidade derivada da profissão, e os estudantes da área de saúde estão inseridos dentro desse comportamento. Então, as intervenções estruturais devem ser consideradas necessárias e urgentes direcionando nas causas para suprimir os efeitos, i.e., iniciar nos estudantes para evitar que os profissionais tenham patologias mais graves, visando uma melhora na qualidade de vida dos estudantes, inicialmente, consequentemente, gerando uma formação de melhor qualidade para os estudantes da área de saúde (Damiano, 2021;Correa, 2017;Vaz, 2020) que parecem sofrer mais da privação do sono.…”

Effects of mistreatment in medical schools: how to evaluate? A brief review

“…Training to become a physician and the practice of Medicine are activities that cause a significant amount of stress for individuals. Common sources of stress include negative aspects of the learning environment, heavy workloads, lack of time, competition among colleagues, financial concerns, health issues, and peer/faculty relations are some of most common social and environmental challenges faced by medical students around the world 30 . Several studies 12,[30][31][32] indicate that these stressors have significant effects on individuals and that a significant percentage of medical students reports anxiety and/ or depression symptoms in response to stressors.…”

Dysfunctional Parenting Styles Are Associated with Mental Disorders and Low Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Brazilian Undergraduate Medical Students

“…Sociodemographic characteristics such as sex, skin color, and monthly family income [2], as well as personal issues and health status [6], have been reported as factors associated with anxiety and depression in medical students. Many aspects of medical school, including extensive content with long hours of studying and the overall learning environment [6], are themselves considered stressors, contributing towards rendering those in such environments more prone to mental disorders. Nonetheless, another large proportion of undergraduate medical students manage to maintain their mental health despite being submitted to these same conditions [1,2].…”