A study to evaluate the leadership skills, personality types, leadership styles, and mental health status of first-Phase MBBS students of a peripheral medical college in West Bengal

Abstract

Background: Medical education is one of the most stressful academic curricula across the globe and it is important for all students to have leadership and management skills because all physicians need to take responsibility as team leaders. Aims: To evaluate the leadership skills, personality types, leadership styles, and mental health status and study the correlation between mental health and leadership skills of first-phase MBBS students in a peripheral Medical College in West Bengal. Methodology and Participants: This study was conducted among first-phase MBBS students after taking institutional ethical clearance and informed consent of the participants. The participants were provided with two recorded YouTube videos which included mental health, leadership, and professionalism. Live interactive sessions were conducted. The participants had to fill up six questionnaires for assessment of leadership skills, personality types, leadership styles, perceived stress scores (PSSs) levels, mental health literacy levels, and DASS-21 scores. Feedback was taken from students. Results: One hundred and thirty-seven students could complete all tasks and so they were only included for analysis of data. One hundred and six students had PSS levels below 20 and thirty-one students had PSS levels of 20 or above. Mean ± SD of the different parameters assessed were as follows: PSS levels: 16.92 ± 4.16; Mental health literacy scores: 99.54 ± 15.31; Authoritative score: 7.85 ±1.45; Democratic score: 9.35 ± 1.7; Facilitative score: 9.52 ± 1.59; Situational score: 9.29 ± 2.54; Leadership skills test scores: 63.85 ± 14.59. DASS 21 scores: Depression: 11.45 ± 4.03; Anxiety: 12.3 ± 4.35; Stress: 15.1 ± 3.29. PSS was negatively correlated with leadership skill test scores and mental health literacy scores. Leadership skill test scores were positively correlated with mental health literacy scores. There was no significant difference between male and female students in respect of PSS levels, mental health literacy scores, leadership skill scores, authoritative scores, democratic scores, facilitative scores, and situational scores. Conclusions: Increased mental health literacy and decreased perceived stress levels were two causes of improved leadership skill test scores in the present study. Students were satisfied with the leadership skills taught to them and this study increased awareness about mental health and leadership among first-phase MBBS students.