Psychological health and stress among Czech medical students

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases are the most frequent cause of death in developed countries. Our purposes were to evaluate the burden of cardiovascular risk behaviours (especially stress) among students of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry in Olomouc, Czech Republic. A questionnaire survey was carried out in a total of 180 first and fifth year General Medicine students. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) for assessing subjective well-being and the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) were used. The obtained data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test and the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U test. Frequencies were compared with the chi-square test. Using the GHQ-12, first year students were found to have higher Likert scores (level of psychological morbidity) than fifth year students. The percentages of students' psychological morbidity (Likert score ≥ 3) were 89.9% and 67.8%, and Likert scores ≥ 5 49.4% and 32.2%, respectively. The MSSQ showed higher levels of stress in first year students. Significant differences between first and fifth year students were found in all domains with the exception of Domains 4 (social-related stressors) and 5 (drive- and desire-related stressors). With the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) for assessing psychological morbidity levels and the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) for stress evaluation, high levels of these parameters were found in both first and fifth year students of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry in Olomouc. Psychological morbidity and stress levels in Olomouc students were higher than those reported in the literature. Higher levels of stress in first year students were revealed. The findings suggest the need for curriculum changes, improvements to the adaptation process and psychosocial counselling for medical students in order to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in would-be health professionals.