Factors associated with happiness and satisfaction with life of medical students in their first four years of a Brazilian private medical school

Abstract

Aim: To determine the factors that interfere with students’ perceptions of happiness and satisfaction with life during the initial process of adaptation to the college environment. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving students from the first to fourth years of the medical program at a private school in Brazil. The data were collected using an SurveyMonkey. The students completed a questionnaire to assess daily activities and personal characteristics in addition to the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) instruments. Results: The final regression models explained 42.2% and 44.7% of the total variance of the SWLS and PHI scores, respectively. Although personal, school, and out-of-school variables were individually associated with the investigated scores, the personal variables explained most of the score variability overall (57.8% and 55.3% of the SWLS and PHI scores, respectively). Conclusion: This study identified and quantified factors (personal, school, and out-of-school) that could be associated with happiness and satisfaction as medical students. Medical students with positive personality traits such as good health perception, optimism, financial satisfaction, and fulfillment as medical students were happier and more satisfied. We hope that that this research provides data for researchers and medical schools to facilitate pedagogical improvements for student evaluation.