Reducing Stress and Promoting Social Integration of International Medical Students through a Tandem Program: Results of a Prospective-Program Evaluation.

Anne Herrmann-Werner,Rebecca Erschens,Felicitas Stuber,Tanja Seifried-Dübon,Stephan Zipfel,Daniel Huhn,Florian Junne,Christoph Nikendei

doi:10.3390/ijerph15091959

Abstract

Medical students, and especially international medical students (IMS), have been shown to experience more psychological distress than the general student population in Germany. In order to address these issues, a structured Tandem Program (TP) to reduce stress and foster social integration of IMS has been introduced at the Medical Faculty of Tuebingen. The Tandem Program was evaluated prospectively with perceived stress (PSQ-20) as the main outcome. Secondary outcomes were ‘motives to participate’ in the TP, ‘specific stressors’, and ‘experiences made’ during the program. Stress levels of IMS at the beginning of the program (t0) (M = 48.14, SD = 11.95) were higher than those of German participants (M = 39.33, SD = 8.31) (t (67) = −3.66, p < 0.001). At the end of the TP (t1), stress levels of international students were significantly lower than at t0. “Improved ability to work in a team” was seen as one of the most beneficial factors. The results indicate that tandem programs at medical faculties may be a promising curricular intervention towards reducing stress levels, improving integration of international students, and to enhance intercultural and team-oriented competencies in both international and national medical students.

Highlights

The number of international students has considerably increased over the past years, with Europe and North America as the preferred study destinations for the majority of international students [1]
A total of n = 69 students (33 German medical students (GMS), 36 International Medical Students (IMS)) from four sequential cohorts of the Tandem Program (TP) participated in the prospective evaluation
The results further show that stress levels in IMS are very high at the beginning of the program, and that perceived stress appears to be lower in IMS at the end of the program

Summary

Introduction

The number of international students (i.e., students seeking education in a foreign country) has considerably increased over the past years, with Europe and North America as the preferred study destinations for the majority of international students [1]. Accounting for up to 15% of all medical students, and with more than 2000 international students taking up medical studies each year, medicine and healthcare sciences are the seventh most popular subjects among international students in Germany [2]. This subgroup can be seen as a significant population at German medical schools, similar to the situation in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other Western countries [3]. Public Health 2018, 15, 1959; doi:10.3390/ijerph15091959 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion