Growth vs. Fixed Mindset and Perceived Stress in First and Second Year Medical Students

Abstract

Burnout in medical professions is a growing concern, and as such, factors associated with burnout, such as stress, are being examined as early as medical school matriculation. By understanding the stress levels of medical students in their preclinical years, faculty can potentially assist students in the development of stress management techniques early on, enabling students to better handle the stress of medical school and in their careers as future physicians. A factor that has implications for how students approach the academic setting and how they manage stress is an individual's mindset. A person with a fixed mindset believes their intelligence is a static trait that will only be documented rather than be further developed. In comparison, individuals with a growth mindset believe they can change their intelligence through hard‐work. Growth mindset has been shown to be associated with greater academic success and resilience enduring stress.The goal of this study was first to determine first and second‐year medical students' perceived stress levels and whether the students held a fixed or a growth mindset. Additionally, this study aimed to determine if there is a relationship between perceived stress, mindset and academic performance during the preclinical years of medical school. In this pilot study, with IRB approval, first and second year medical students at a regional campus of a large Midwestern medical school completed the Perceived Stress scale, a 10 question Likert‐type inventory, as well as a 20 question Likert‐type scale to determine students' predominant mindset (growth versus fixed). Additionally, the relationships between mindset and scores on NBME subject exams in the preclinical years and USMLE Step 1, as well as perceived stress scores and NBME scores and USMLE Step 1 scores will be examined. Preliminary results showed that 12% of students had a strong growth mindset, and 70% of students had a growth mindset with some fixed ideas. The perceived stress scale scores ranged from 2–38 (40 max), with an average score of 12.9.A better understanding of students' perceived stress and their mindset about learning in medical school can provide potentially useful insight for instructors into the mindset of their students, allowing instructors to help guide students through the learning process and managing the stress that often accompanies this difficult academic path.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.