THE INFLUENCE OF STRESS ON MEDICAL STUDENTS

​ВЛИЯНИЕ СТРЕССА НА СТУДЕНТОВ-МЕДИКОВ

Кокиашвили Никита Александрович

студент, Российский Университет Дружбы Народов им. Патриса Лумумбы (РУДН),

РФ, г. Москва

Эмаимо Алисе Джон

научный руководитель, ассистент КИЯ, Медицинский Институт, Российский университет дружбы народов им. Патриса Лумумбы (РУДН),

РФ, г. Москва

ABSTRACT

Stress is something that every person deals with. It is the emotional / physical reaction of a human body to danger or demand. [4] From the pressure of work, study or personal life. On some occasions it can be useful, for example, getting yourself focused on getting the best use of the limited time to write a big essay [5]. However, for most people it is a negative state [5]. While the human body has the resources and the abilities to deal with short-term stress, if it goes for long periods of time it will cause much more damaging effects on the body, both physically and mentally [1,2,8]. It can go so long that regular stress can develop into chronic stress, including headaches, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, etc [6]. Additionally, it has a big impact on every working system of the human body (from the Musculoskeletal system to the Reproductive System) [1]. Stress is one of the main causes, if not the number one factor of most illnesses and diseases [3]. With this in mind, it is impossible for students to ignore stress. Studying in university is difficult in many ways. From adapting to the educational system of the university to being able to handle and learn the materials of all necessary subjects [9]. The point of this article is to discuss the effects of stress on the physical and psychological states of the students. The questions that will rise and an attempt to find the right answers to understand the influence of stress on our human body. How this human reaction has caused so much damage to people's health.

The survey about stress was done on 10th of April 2024 at the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) as part of a research project, including medical students and citizens of Russia regardless of region, religion and culture. The survey contains students’ answers from the age bracket of 18-30 years old. 56 participants completed the survey. 70% of the participants were the age of 18-21, 27% - 22-25 and 3,6% - 26-30 years old.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Стресс - это то, с чем сталкивается каждый человек. Это эмоциональная / физическая реакция человеческого тела на опасность или требование. [4] Из-за давления работы, учебы или личной жизни. В некоторых случаях это может быть полезно, например, чтобы сосредоточиться на том, чтобы наилучшим образом использовать ограниченное время, чтобы написать большое эссе [5]. Однако для большинства людей это негативное состояние [5]. Хотя у человеческого организма есть ресурсы и способности справляться с краткосрочным стрессом, если он продолжается в течение длительных периодов времени, он вызовет гораздо более разрушительные последствия для организма, как физические, так и психические [1,2,8]. Это может длиться так долго, что регулярный стресс может перерасти в хронический стресс, включая головные боли, высокое кровяное давление, депрессию, беспокойство и т. д. [6]. Кроме того, он оказывает большое влияние на каждую рабочую систему человеческого организма (от опорно-двигательного аппарата до репродуктивной системы) [1]. Стресс – одна из основных причин, если не главный фактор большинства заболеваний и недугов [3]. Учитывая это, студенты не могут игнорировать стресс. Учёба в университете сложна во многих отношениях. От адаптации к университетской системе до способности осваивать и изучать материалы всех необходимых предметов [9]. Цель данной статьи – обсудить влияние стресса на физическое и психологическое состояние студентов. Вопросы, которые возникнут, и попытка найти правильные ответы, чтобы понять влияние стресса на организм человека. Как эта человеческая реакция нанесла такой большой вред здоровью людей.

Опрос о стрессе был проведён 10 апреля 2024 года в Российском университете дружбы народов (РУДН) в рамках исследовательского проекта, в котором приняли участие студенты-медики и граждане России, независимо от региона, вероисповедания и культуры. В опросе приняли участие студенты в возрасте от 18 до 30 лет. В опросе приняли участие 56 человек. 70% участников были в возрасте от 18 до 21 года, 27% — от 22 до 25 лет и 3,6% — от 26 до 30 лет.

Keywords: стресс, психическое здоровье, студенты.

Ключевые слова: stress, mental health, students.

AIM

The aim of this article is to examine the physical and mental states of the medical students during their study. How do they feel about their personal life during the study and does the study influence how they act? Their emotions and behavior before, during and after the tests/colloquiums. How do the students feel about themselves in their first years and later years of study.

OBJECTIVE

The objective is to find the answers on lowering stress for the students and how it can be accomplished. Figure out how the students should think about the study and what is required from the university to make use of students’ full potential without putting so much on the study.

INTRODUCTION

For a student stress is impossible to ignore. From the severe changes in personal life to being pressured to overwork themselves for future success [13]. With proper time management and responsibility stress can be lower to the minimum, unfortunately the same can’t be said about the medical students. It is well known that medicine is one the hardest sciences to properly understand and get a degree on [14]. It is mostly driven by the passion of the people for the knowledge. When you take this difficult subject and combine with the increasing difficulty of the study, this can lead to many students worsening their mental and physical health or even dropping the study entirely.

OVERVIEW

Before looking at how stress affects medical students, it is necessary to understand how stress functions and what effect does stress have on general students from different faculties. Stress is our physical and psychological response to anything perceived as overwhelming to the human body [3]. It can appear in response to something positive or negative [6]. However the important factor of stress is how it is perceived by the person experiencing it [6]. Regardless of the positive or negative situation, it is up to the person to adapt successfully to the change of the situation [6]. Unfortunately not everyone can fully control it or even disregard stress only as a negative reaction to the given circumstances. According to the National College Health Assessment in 2019 the percentage of stress experienced by the students is 92%, ranging from average to tremendous stress [11, 15]. One of the key factors in such high rates of stress is inability to adapt to the new stage of young adults (trying to fit in with the society) and keep on track the amount of work given to do by the universities [11].

MATERIALS AND RESULTS

The survey about the influence of stress in study was done on 10th of April 2024 at the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) as part of a research project only involving medical students. 56 people participated in the survey, which consisted of 18 male participants (32%) and female - 38 (68%). 70% of the participants were the age of 18-21, 27% - 22-25 and 3,6% - 26-30 years old. In the survey the questions were about stress caused by the study affecting their general health.

How did you feel at the very start in the univercity?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 1. Chart showing the percentage of people’s thoughts about the new start at the medical university

Are you satisfied with the study?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 2. Chart showing the percentage of people’s opinion on the study at the medical university

When looking at these two questions together we get similar results. In Figure №1 at the beginning of the study 89,3% of the students felt positively about their start, while 14,3% - negatively. Despite the difficulties in medical study in Figure №2 we can see that the positive outlook has only decreased by 7%

Do you feel overwhelmed with materials to learn/study?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 3. Chart showing the percentage of people feeling under pressure by the study.

The same cannot be said about Figure №3. 78,6% of the students feel overwhelmed by difficulties. Most people are willing to get through the hard times, however it won’t have a positive impact on their health.

What is the most frustrating thing(s) about the study?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 4. Chart showing the percentage of the most frustrating things about the medical university for the students

According to Figure №4 the top 5 of the most frustrating things to students are the specific subjects (58,9%), working off the missed lessons (55,4%), the departments’ rules (46,4%), the way the subject is delivered (42,9%) and the long distance between your home and the university (41,1%). With a big amount of different subjects in medicine some subjects can sometimes be difficult for students. There are subjects that are easily understood by some students and there are some by not so much. It can also be affiliated to not understanding the subjects itself or not giving enough effort to pass the subject. The rule of working out the missing lessons is directed to keep the students on their toes. In some subjects you only gain points by passing the colloquiums or tests, while seminars just explain the topic for the day. While it is understandable from departments’ point of view, from the students’ point of view it can be detrimental. While at 1st course there are going to be irresponsible students, they either way will leave the university by the sheer amount of work to do to keep up with the phase of the semester. If something detrimental happens to the responsible students, even if they give real proof that they were ill or something serious happened in their personal lives, they have no choice but work off the missed lessons. What doesn’t help for working off the missed lessons is that you are not allowed to participate in the colloquiums and they are much harder to pass than the colloquiums themselves or the main tests. Each department has their own rules on how to pass the subject. While there are some that are understandable, there are some that make the subjects needlessly complex. This can be very detrimental in understanding the subjects and makes studying much more difficult with each of departments’ rules to keep in mind. The way the subjects are delivered can be connected to the difficulty of learning the necessary materials and the departments’ rules. With all of them in mind it can get very difficult to keep everything in check. Long distance between their homes and the university is also connected to the previous points made. Time is necessary for every subject and when you add the everyday long trip on the road it will affect your schedule to get everything done on time.

How do you feel about tests?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 5. Chart showing the percentage of people’s opinion about tests

According to Figure №4 tests were the least frustrating part about the study with 14,3%. However according to Figure №5 the same cannot be said. While there are mostly positive opinions about the tests (64,3%) there is a chunk of negative thoughts about them (35,7%).

How do you feel before upcoming exams?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 6. Chart showing the percentage of people’s worries about upcoming exams

How do you feel during exams?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 7. Chart showing the percentage of people’s worries during the exams

Exams are one the most difficult periods to pass in a student's life. According to Figure №6 and 7 around more than half of the students feel stressed about them. During the exams themselves the stressful factor is slightly increased by 2%.

Do you think your overall health got worse because of the study?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 8. Chart showing the percentage of people’s opinion about their overall worsening

According to Figure №8 many participants think that their overall health got worse. Connecting with listed things according to Figure №4 it is understandable to see why.

Are you emotionally stable?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 9. Chart showing percentage of people’s thoughts about their emotional stability

According to Figure №9 around 43% of the participants claim that they are not emotionally stable. During stressful moments, especially exams and colloquiums it is important to stay calm and focus on passing the subjects. Unfortunately with the heavy pressure on the students, they can answer wrong or even forget the correct answers for the given questions [11]. This could lead to more stress with not passing the subjects and retrying all over again.

Can you control your emotions/behavior during stress?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 10. Chart showing the percentage of people that can control their emotions during stress

While in Figure №9 it is seen that 43% of the students are emotionally unstable, according to Figure №10 only around 18% of the participants have trouble dealing with their emotions. With the given example of not passing the subjects these students could have doubts about themselves or even have emotional breakdowns making harsh decisions about themselves in the given situation [11].

How is your sleep schedule?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 11. Chart showing the percentage of people’s state on their sleep schedule

According to Figure №11 87,5% of the students have inconsistent sleep schedules. With the lack of the necessary sleep for the human body and the immense pressure of the study this can lead to serious health problems down in the future [11].

What are your eating habits during stress?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 12. Chart showing the percentage of people’s eating habits under stress

According to Figure №12 in order to cope with stress around 47% of students load up and gain weight, while 25% - starve and lose weight. In both scenarios this can have serious consequences on the mental and physical health of the students.

Despite the difficulties in study, do you think you are ranked fairly during tests / colloquiums?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 13. Chart showing the percentage of people’s opinion on their ranking

Looking at Figure №13 around 73,2% of the medical students think that they are ranked fairly for their efforts. The other 27% can be connected to not fully understanding the material of the subjects or teachers pressuring on answering difficult questions.

Do you care about getting high grades?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 14. Chart showing the percentage of people’s opinion on getting high grades?

According to Figure №14 50% of the students would try their best, but not worry about the high grades. Around 38% do care about the high grades, which can be connected to keeping the scholarship or their personal self-importance.

If you do care about the high grades, do you feel pressured to get them?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 15. Chart showing the percentage of people’s opinion on getting high grades, if they care about them

If high grades are the absolute necessity to get, around 48,2% of the students will not care about them and focus on passing the subjects.

Did you have thoughts on giving up on the study?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 16. Chart showing the percentage of people’s thoughts about giving up on the medical study

According to Figure №16 around 46% of the students had thoughts on giving up on the medical study entirely.

Do you think you can reach the end of the entire medical study?

Answered: 56 Skipped: 0

Figure 17. Chart showing people’s thoughts on finishing the entire medical study

Despite many trials, doubts and difficulties around 96,4% of the medical students think that they will reach the end of the study according to Figure №17.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of the survey more than ⅔ of the participants are determined to successfully finish the medical study. While this is a good result, based on the previously stated information about stress for average students, it doesn’t make it less stressful for the rest of the participants of the survey.

The survey additionally confirms the overall worsening of the general health of the students and a big lack of sleep, which reduces their productivity [11].

Despite the rising rates of stress each year for medical students and for students in general, not much has been done to lower the stressful process of study and make it more approachable. While stress is something everyone has dealt with in their lives [4], it is not healthy for the general health of the upcoming young adults [6]. If this continues without any major changes, then the future generation of teens, young adults may already have major health problems before stepping foot on the stressful part of studying in university. With medical universities already having much lower numbers of students than other faculties, medicine as a science might have a major slowdown in growth.

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