Perceived Stress, Stressor and the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress of Female Medical Students

Irma Suswati ,Hendy Hendarto ,Margarita Maria Maramis

doi:10.7176/jep/11-27-13

Abstract

First year female medical students have heterogeneous educational backgrounds and diferent social-economy conditions, as well as changes in instructional system may cause academic pressure that eventually leads to stress. They are also experiencing academic stressors and life stress due to their daily routines. From this situation, it is discernible that stress prevalence among them is high. This study aims to determine stress source and perceived stress, establish correlation between life stress and perceived stress, and establish correlation between life stress and stress source. This cross-sectional study was conducted to 99 female medical students. The instrument used was the stress source questionnaire, the social readjustment rating scale, and the perceived stress scale-10. The obtained data is analyzed using Pearson correlation and logistic regression. The findings reveal that peer competition (P=0,014), loneliness (P=0,003), and inability to do self-adjustment (P=0,002) are the predictors of perceived stress. There was a significant correlation between the life stress and the perceived stress (sig 0,007, p<0,01), peer competition (sig 0,005, p<0,01), and loneliness (sig 0,024, p<0,05). In conclusion, peer competition, loneliness and inability to do self-adjustment are the stress predictors. The life stress with its many conflicts also influence the level of the stress. Consultation service is required to help managing and alleviating the stress such as in the forms of campus orientation program, physical or extracurricular activities, peer, family and institutional supports, creating healthy competitions, increase readiness towards changes, and stress management. Keywords: stress, stressor, life stress, female medical students. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-27-13 Publication date: September 30 th 2020

Highlights

Stress occurs due to one's inability to adapt to internal and external pressure
The students completed a) the stress source questionnaire from the research by Anuradha which consists of fifteen items; five items for academic stressors, five items for psychosocial stressors, and five items for environmental stressors, and b) Holmes-Rahe questionnaire which consists of 43 items about the social or life events
The marked item is added to generate a score in which score

Summary

Introduction

Several studies have shown that female medical students' stress levels are higher than those in other non-medical majors (Navas, 2012 & Jafri et al, 2017). Female medical students' stress prevalence is 25,6-78% (Gazzaz et al, 2018). In the Asian regions, for example, the stress prevalence in Bangladeshian state and private medical schools is 73% (Eva et al, 2015), in Jizan University Saudi Arabia is 71,9% (Sani et al, 2012), and in Indonesia is 48,4-61% (Rahmayani, Liza, & Syah, 2019) (Wahyudi, Bebasari, & Nazriati, 2015) (Pathmanathan & Husada, 2013). The first-year female students have the highest stress level compared to those of later years. The stress prevalence of female students is 70% higher than in the second year 60% (Ariyani, 2011) (Botelho, et al, 2017). Low-level stress helps students obtain maximum gain in life, while constant high-level stress may cause psychological and physical issues such as anxiety, depression, drug abuse and even suicide (Gazzaz, et al, 2018)

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