Comparing the Psychological Distress Among the Medical Students at Different Levels of Training

Abstract

Background: Psychological distress is a global health issue which impact the medical students learning and professional development. Varied factors impact the psychological distress of the medical students. The study evaluates the role of year of study on the psychological distress of medical students. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 318 medical students in different years of medical training. The items from DASS-21 was validated and used for the data collection. The data was collected by stratified random sampling method. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed using Statistical package for social science version 26. Result: Year three students had significantly higher psychological distress compared to all other years of study. The stress and depression is significantly higher in year three students who have progressed from preclinical years to clinical year. Conclusion: The year three students requires support from the educators to adapt to the more complex learning environment in the clinical years. This would facilitate their leaning and professional development