Health-Related Quality of Life Among Medical Students

Abstract

Introduction: Medical education appears to perpetuate stress through its intense academic workload, working with patients and grading systems. Various studies show that the stressful life of medical students can attribute to development of various ailments and deterioration of quality of life. The World Health Organization has defined quality of life as “individuals' perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and their relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns. Aim: To determine the health related quality of life of medical students and assess their mental status. Material and Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate students of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College. A total of 235 students from 2nd year MBBS and Final year part 1 MBBS participated in the survey. The study was conducted after obtaining written consent from the participants and permission from the Head of the Department to conduct the study. Results: The students who participated ranged from the age group of 17 years to 24 years, maximum being 21 years (30%), 164 of them were females. Sixty two percent of the students belonged to 2nd year. According to Beck's Depression Inventory, 23%(53) evaluated to have mild mood disturbances. Overall scores for all 8 domains ranged between 78.2 and 60.2. The maximum score was obtained in the Physical Function domain and the minimum score was obtained in the Role Limitation Due to Emotional Problems domain. Conclusions: The study shows that the quality of life, health related as perceived by the participants is low. Various factors may be associated with this, including time constraints for social activities, heavy workload and limited contact with family and friends. Deteriorated quality of life may affect the attainment of knowledge by the students, their performances as well as their future competencies as a clinician.