Abstract
Several studies have proven that an individual’s psychological well-being is an essential element of his or her health. Stress and anxiety both play roles in the overall functioning of the individual. They have been shown to have powerful influence on students and their overall academic achievement and performance in their courses. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the effects of anxiety on the academic performance of medical students. The study participants were 185 male medical students in the faculty of medicine at Al Baha University, Saudi Arabia, and in age range from 19 to 25 years (M = 21.6 ± 1.7 years). To investigate students’ experiences of positive and negative affect and also their anxiety levels, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS) were administered to medical students and correlation of the PANAS and TMAS measures with Grade Point Average (GPA) was performed. The present study findings revealed that the association of positive affect (p = 0.016) of PANAS is significantly and strongly related to GPA in Saudi medical students, whereas negative affect and the TMAS were not, suggesting that the positive affect component of PANAS enhances the grade performance. To confirm and establish these results, future studies including both males and females with various economic backgrounds are recommended.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), psychological well-being is considered to be an essential component of not just mental health, but overall health (Marcus, Yasamy, van Ommeren, Chisholm, & Saxena, 2012)
Whereas negative affect has significant positive correlation with Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS) suggesting as the negative component of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) increases anxiety increases
A correlation among of positive affect and negative affect with year level and with Grade Point Average (GPA) showed a significant association of PANAS-Positive Affect (PA) with GPA (p = 0.016) and negative correlation between the PA and year level that only neared significance (p = 0.094)
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), psychological well-being is considered to be an essential component of not just mental health, but overall health (Marcus, Yasamy, van Ommeren, Chisholm, & Saxena, 2012). An individual exhibiting a combination of low mood, showing no interest or pleasure, guilt, low self-esteem, disturbed appetite, disturbed sleep, and disturbed concentration is termed depressed (Marcus et al, 2012). The American Psychological Association (APA) defined anxiety as mixed feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes associated with autonomic arousal, skeletal muscle tension, and situational aspects, whereas stress is more associated with irritability, impatience, and difficulty in relaxing (APA, 2016). More than 300 studies on stress and immunity in humans confirm that psychological distress can have a negative impact on the immune system and is capable of modifying various features of the immune response. Academic achievement is generally defined as accomplishments at school, college, or university; in class; in a laboratory, library, or project, evaluated through conducting examinations or continuous assessment, which is measured using grade point average (GPA; Ward, Stoker, & Murray-Ward, 1996)
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