Abstract
Medical education is highly demanding and evidence shows that medical students are three times more susceptible to deteriorating physical and mental health than the average college student. While trait anxiety may further increase such risk, little is known about the role of trait mindfulness in mitigating these effects. Here we examine the protective role of specific mindfulness facets as mediators in pathways from trait anxiety to perceived stress, psychosomatic burden and sleep-wake quality in medical students, across repeated measurements throughout the first trimester of the school year. Preclinical medical students enrolled in the second year of the Medical School of University of Bologna completed self-report questionnaires examining personality traits as well as physical and psychological wellbeing. Data were collected at the beginning (Time 1: N = 349) and the end of the first trimester (Time 2: N = 305). As students approached the end of the trimester and upcoming exams, reported levels of perceived stress, psychosomatic problems and difficulties in wakefulness increased significantly compared to the beginning of the trimester. Mediation results showed that trait anxiety predicted such outcomes whereas the protective role of mindfulness facets in mitigating these effects was significant only at Time 2. Specific facets of Nonjudging of inner experience and Acting with awareness proved to be the most effective mediators. Findings highlight that the beneficial role of mindfulness facets in mitigating negative consequences of trait anxiety on medical student wellbeing is revealed in high-pressure periods and when self-regulation is needed the most. Cultivating awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of one’s inner experiences is a crucial self-regulation resource that can help medical students sustain their wellbeing as they learn and throughout their high-pressure education and professional careers.
Highlights
Medical education is among the most protracted of professional healthcare programs
Gender differences examined in light of their role in anxiety and wellbeing variables were found for trait anxiety, perceived stress, psychosomatic problems, quality of wake and mindfulness facets of Nonjudging and Nonreacting
This study examined the contribution of specific mindfulness facets in protecting against negative consequences of trait anxiety on student physical and psychological wellbeing in the context of medical education
Summary
Medical education is among the most protracted of professional healthcare programs. Long hours of training and clinical practice, lack of sleep, heavy workload and great expectations placed on student’s shoulders are but a shortlist of the inherent pressures of medical school, which seem to mirror the hardships of future professional life. Disquieting evidence by studies around the world shows that medical students are three times more susceptible to deteriorating mental and physical health than the average college student (Beiter et al, 2015; Cuttilan et al, 2016; Dyrbye & Shanafelt, 2011, 2016; Heinen et al, 2017; Mihailescu & Neiterman, 2019; Zeng et al, 2019) Paradoxical as it may seem, it has been pointed out that preparing the doctors that will care for the sick is taking an incredibly high toll on their very own mental and physical resources, which is reflected in significant costs for national healthcare and education systems (Kemp et al, 2019; Ripp et al, 2017). In recognition of the problem’s magnitude, a wide consensus is rising worldwide calling for actions to enhance medical student well-being as they learn, by supporting students to develop along the professional skills, the necessary self-care capacities that will sustain their wellbeing throughout their high-pressure medical education and professional careers (Kemp et al, 2019; Ripp et al, 2017)
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