Tıp Öğrencilerinin Online Sınavda Algıladıkları Stres Düzeyleri ve Stresle Başa Çıkma Yöntemleri

Abstract

Aim: Exams are one of the most important factors that increase the stress level of medical school students. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceived stress levels of preclinical medical school students and their methods of coping with stress before and after the online theoretical exam that will be held for the first time.Methods: The sample of this cross-sectional study is 377 (67,2%), I.-III. grade Medical Faculty students. The questionnaire includes 10 questions about socio-demographic information, and the questions are related to students’ thoughts on online exams in medical education and the problems which they experienced in the online practice exam. Moreover, "Perceived Stress Scale" and "Coping Stress Styles Scale" were used to collect data from medical students. The link of the questionnaire prepared through the digital form was sent to all students, and the data were collected in the digital environment. Participants' pre- and post-exam data were matched over their school numbers.Results: It was found that 97.9% of the students experienced stress before the exam, and 99.8% of them experienced the same feelings varying from mild to severe after the exam. Before the exam, the median of the "Perceived Stress Scale” (PSS) score was 30 (min. 5- max.56) and the median of the "Coping Stress Styles Scale” (CSSS) score was 74 (min.43- max.120). It was found that the students used the problem-oriented / effective coping methods. It was observed that there was a significant negative correlation between the "PSS” score and problem-oriented/effective coping methods (r=- 0.447, p<0.01), and a positive correlation between emotional/ineffective coping methods (r= 0.361, p<0.01) and also, 62.1% of the students think that it will be appropriate to conduct the theoretical exams online in medical education. The PSS score was significantly higher for female students, and for those who did not follow distance education regularly, and for those who found online exams suitable in medical education, and for those who said that being able to communicate with the exam coordinator during the exam did not give them confidence. Students reported that they encountered the most system-related technical problems during the online exam.Conclusions: The perceived stress level of medical school students who experienced the summative type online exam for the first time was found to be high before and after the exam. Online exam methods will be a field that is frequently applied and developed in the coming years. For this reason, there is a need for more studies in which the factors that cause stress in medical students during online exams are determined.