Measuring the Stressors in Undergraduate Medical Students: A Cross Sectional Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify and measure the possible potential stressors among undergraduate medical students and explore the correlation of stress with gender and level of academic year. Methodology: This was a cross sectional, questionnaire-based study to identify and measure possible stressors in undergraduate medical students. This study was conducted from 1stAugust 2016 to 1st September 2016 at Independent Medical College, Faisalabad. A sample size of 243 was calculated using openepi; with a confidence level of 97%. The Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) was used in this study, which is a validated instrument to identify sources of stress. The items in MSSQ represent 20 possible sources of stress in medical students identified from the literature grouped into six main factors as Academic Related Stressor (ARS), Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Related Stressor (IRS), Teaching and Learning Related Stressor (TLRS), Social Related Stressor (SRS), Drive and Desire Related Stressor (DRS), and Group Activities Related Stressor (GARS). Analysis of data is done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive analysis of levels of stress in all six main factor domains was done, stratified by gender variation and level of academic years and presented as frequency & percentages of subjects having that level of stress. Reliability analysis was also performed to determine the reliability of the MSSQ questionnaire for any demographic variations. Findings: Study proved that the major source of stress experienced by the students was related to academics that was represented by ARS factor, showing the highest mean degree off 2. 0453.Females perceive more stress than males in all domains but no significant correlation found on statistical analysis. Level of academic related stress remains same in all levels of academic years whereas IRS, DRS, TLRS, GARS, SRS related stress levels shows progressive reduction from first year to final year. Implication: Academics related stress is the leading cause of stress in undergraduate medical students, followed by stress related to interpersonal and intrapersonal factors.