Well-being Of Medical Students Research Articles

Medical students’ attitudes towards well-being and welfare: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionMedical education poses serious stressors on medical students, as they report overall higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities compared with students enrolled in other university-level courses. The high rates of poor...

The Effects of Positive Psychological Factors on the Mental Wellbeing of Medical Students

The Effects of Positive Psychological Factors on the Mental Wellbeing of Medical Students

Assessing Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing in Medical Students: A Systematic Review

Medical students' psychological wellbeing is a growing concern. However, the methods used and outcomes measured in studies evaluating psychological wellbeing lack consistency given their wide and diverse array. This systematic review aims to characterise and comprehensively evaluate the outcomes measured and methods used in studies assessing psychological wellbeing among medical students. A consensus on the constructs and methods used in indexing psychological wellbeing can lead to more effective assessments and consequently more effective interventions aimed at promoting wellbeing in medical students. Methods: Multiple databases were searched, including Medline, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Grey literature was searched through Google Scholar, and reference lists of the included studies were further searched. Results: Forty-five studies were included, and findings were integrated into a narrative synthesis. The results showed that various methods were used and various outcomes were measured to index medical students’ mental wellbeing; outcomes tapped on stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, and minor psychiatric disorders as wellbeing indicators while commonly used measures were the General Health Questionnaire, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Self-reported measures and quantitative designs predominated, focusing on negative indicators of wellbeing. The findings of this systematic review highlighted the vast heterogeneity in outcomes measured and methods used in studies assessing psychological wellbeing in medical students. Conclusions: Homogeneity in the measures and outcomes used to assess wellbeing is necessary to improve the comparability and reliability of findings among studies. Future research should also use validated measures that capture both positive and negative aspects of psychological wellbeing to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that can promote positive psychological wellbeing; and consequently, to inform the development of more effective interventions tailored to the mental health needs of medical students.

Five Evidence-Based Strategies to Foster a Culture of Well-Being in Physician Assistant Education.

The objective of this study was to discuss evidence-based strategies to promote a culture of well-being with physician assistant (PA) education. Published literature on medical student, resident, and PA student well-being was reviewed with findings subsequently categorized according to well-being strategy. Five themes were found from existing well-being research within medical student and PA student education: faculty role modeling and support, dedicated curricular time, pass/fail grading schema and de-emphasizing grades, peer support and learning communities, and evaluation importance. Physician assistant educators may be able to foster a culture of well-being for their students by making even small adjustments to the existing educational curriculum.

A Guiding Model for Undergraduate Medical Education Well-Being Programs.

Most medical schools have instituted undergraduate medical education (UME) well-being programs in recent years in response to high rates of medical student distress, but there is currently significant variability in the structure of UME well-being programs and limited guidance on how to best structure such programs to achieve success. In this article, the authors, all leaders of medical student well-being programs at their home institutions and members of the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Student Affairs Committee on Student Affairs Working Group on Medical Student Well-Being between 2019 and 2023, offer guidance to the national community on how best to structure a UME well-being program. They use the current literature and their professional experiences leading well-being efforts at 7 different institutions to review the case for addressing medical student well-being, propose a guiding model, and make recommendations for strategies to implement this model.The proposed guiding model emphasizes the importance of the learning environment and efficiency of learning to medical student well-being, as well as personal resilience. Based on this model, the authors recommend specific and tangible well-being strategies to implement systemic interventions to improve the learning environment, efficiency of learning, and personal resilience, including: formalizing the well-being program; hiring qualified, dedicated, and empowered well-being leadership with clear responsibilities; acting as a central hub for resources and as a liaison with mental health care; and establishing robust program evaluation methods.

Interventions to promote medical student well-being: an overview of systematic reviews

ObjectiveTo conduct an overview of systematic reviews that explore the effectiveness of interventions to enhance medical student well-being.DesignOverview of systematic reviews.Data sourcesThe Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, APA PsychInfo,...

The Relationship Between Psychological Conditions and Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study aims to explore the nexus between students' psychological well-being and the manifestation of gastrointestinal symptoms (GISs) amid the health lockdown enforced in Xi'an, focusing on the student populace of Xi'an Medical College and Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A survey encompassing psychological parameters and GISs was administered to a randomized cohort of 1327 college students drawn from Xi'an Medical College and Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The survey instrument was developed utilizing the Questionnaire Star platform. Subsequent to data collection, analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 9 and SPSS 22.0. Comparative analysis revealed statistically significant disparities (P < 0.05) in various GISs between the periods during and preceding the health lockdown, encompassing symptoms such as nausea/vomiting, acid reflux, postprandial fullness/early satiety, anorexia, decreased appetite, bloating, abdominal discomfort, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation. Notably, the mean score for Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) was 3.31±3.92, indicating mild anxiety, while the mean score for Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) was 1.15±1.28, suggesting mild depression. Detailed evaluation of anxiety revealed prevalence rates of 34% among respondents, with 34.2% of these individuals reporting concurrent GISs, while among those evaluated for depression (38.8% of the sample), 44.2% reported concurrent GISs. Furthermore, multiple linear regression analysis unveiled a negative correlation between GISs during the health lockdown and lifestyle scores, while positive correlations were observed with GISs preceding the lockdown, anxiety, and depression. The formulated multiple linear regression equation for GISs during the health lockdown is delineated as follows: 14.693-0.342 life style + 0.725GISs before health lockdown + 0.218anxiety + 0.564 depression. This investigation underscores the substantial impact of anxiety and depression on the student body, accentuating their role in precipitating GISs during health lockdown situations. The psychological well-being of medical students during exigent circumstances such as natural disasters warrants heightened attention, necessitating proactive measures aimed at emotional regulation to mitigate the onset of GISs.

From corners to community: exploring medical students’ sense of belonging through co-creation in clinical learning

BackgroundBelonging is critical for the development and wellbeing of medical students. Belonging, particularly within a ‘relational being’ paradigm, presents a significant challenge for students, especially within clinical learning environments. Co-creation is a learning relationship in which students are actively involved in the education process. It is inherently relational and promotes belonging within higher education environments. Little is known about utilising co-creation in the curriculum, within medical education. The aim of this study was to explore medical students’ experience of co-creation of learning resources within the clinical learning environment.MethodsFollowing ethical approval, medical students were invited to become co-creators of a learning bulletin resource, within the paediatric acute receiving unit, at a paediatric teaching hospital. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to enable an in-depth exploration of how medical students experienced co-creation within the clinical learning environment. Medical students participated in semi-structured interviews about their experience, which were transcribed verbatim and analysed using IPA. The analysis integrated individual lived experiences into an analytic summary.ResultsNine medical students participated. Three group experiential themes were identified: identity maturation; learning community and workplace integration. The support found within this co-created learning community, along with maturation of their identity, allowed the participants to experience a challenge to their existing worldview. This shift in perspective resulted in them responding and behaving in the workplace in new ways, which enabled them to belong as themselves in the clinical learning environment. These findings were situated within the developmental concept of self-authorship, as well as contributing to a new understanding of how co-creation promoted social integration.ConclusionsCo-creation enabled students to learn in a meaningful way. The relational power of co-creation, can be harnessed to deliver participatory learning experiences, within our increasingly complex healthcare environment, to support the learning, development and integration of doctors of the future.

Influence of lifestyle on academic performance in basic cycle medical students

Objective: To investigate the influence of lifestyle on academic performance in basic cycle medical students. Methods: The study involved applying two instruments to 51 medical students to identify cognitive function and lifestyle habits, as well as the level of physical activity through an international questionnaire. Results: No direct correlations were found between cognitive function and physical activity. Significant correlations were identified between participants' age and average correct answers in the Dissertation Cognitive Assessment (DCA) (r=0.4, p=0.01), extracurricular study days and average correct answers in the DCA (r=0.4, p=0.006), out-of-class study hours and average correct answers in the DCA (r=0.4, p=0.006), and between hours of sleep and days of alcohol consumption in the month (r=-0.6, p=0.000). Conclusion: The findings suggest that older students and those who spend more time studying outside the classroom exhibit better academic performance. Furthermore, a lifestyle with higher frequency of alcohol consumption is associated with reduced hours of sleep. These elements are fundamental to understanding and improving learning strategies and well-being of medical students.

Anxiety, Stress and Depression in Overseas Medical Students and its Associated Factors: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study at Jalalabad State University, Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan

Background: Stress can be described as a mental state of tension or be concerned brought on by an unpleasant circumstance. Stress is an ordinary human reaction that encourages us to face challenges and dangers in life. According to the WHO, four out of every five college students are contemplating or have attempted suicide. Medical education is considered as demanding because students undergo several psychological transformations. It is estimated that half of all significant adult psychiatric illnesses, including depression, begin before the age of fourteen. 75 % of college students do not seek help for mental health issues. (1)  Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three months period of time from the month September till November 2023, among 150 students of various years at Jalalabad State Medical University using online Google forms. The study was conducted using DASS 21-item questionnaire to assess the level of stress, anxiety, and depression among students. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 software. Ethical approval was taken from the University.  Result: In the study 9% of people reported having a moderate to extremely severe degree of stress, anxiety 27.3% and depression was found among 4% respectively in students. Stress and study of year were substantially correlated. (p = 0.007). Anxiety and extracurricular activities were found to be significiant (p = 0.004). Extracurricular activities and depression were linked. (p = 0.029) and the type of family they belong to (p = 0.015). While stress and depression were shown to be uncommon among medical students, anxiety was found to be more common, which might be related to a variety of factors such as new environments, difficult subjects, complex terminology, etc.  Conclusion: It is important to highlight the points like financial issues, home sick, behaviour of teachers and friends etc would be the stressful elements that might lead to increase the psychological problem among medical student. Following research endeavors in this domain ought to endeavor to address these constraints. In any event, we believe that our results emphasize the necessity of putting policies in place to protect and, where appropriate, improve the mental health and general wellbeing of medical students.

Psychological Distress and Associated Factors Among Medical Students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study (May 2018)

BackgroundPsychological distress, posing a substantial threat to the well-being of medical students, is linked to heightened risks of academic struggles and suicidal tendencies. Despite its profound impact, comprehensive studies on the prevalence and determinants of psychological distress among medical students remain scarce, particularly in developing nations like Ethiopia. This study sought to robustly assess the prevalence of psychological distress and its determinants among medical students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. MethodsA rigorous institution-based cross-sectional study involving 423 medical students utilized a stratified random sampling technique. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) served as the assessment for psychological distress. The scale has been validated for use in Ethiopia and demonstrates a sensitivity of 84.2% and specificity of 77.8%. Scores above 20 on the K10 were considered as indicative of psychological distress, while scores falling within the ranges of 10–19 were likely to indicate wellness. Logistic regression was used to investigate the association between dependent and independent variables. Odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were meticulously calculated to discern the strength of associations. ResultsOut of the 423 participants, 390 were included in the current study, resulting in a response rate of 92.2%. A formidable prevalence of psychological distress was exposed, registering at 42.82% (95% CI 37.97, 47.82%). Strikingly, female students exhibited a disproportionately higher prevalence (62.03%) compared to their male counterparts (37.93%). Factors such as test anxiety, suicidal attempts, and suboptimal time management were pivotal contributors to escalated rates of psychological distress. Multivariable analysis underscored the significance of certain determinants, revealing that high GPA scores were protective [AOR 0.25, 95% CI 0.13, 0.49], while inadequate social support [AOR 5.7, 95% CI 2.96, 11.24], a history of suicidal attempts [AOR 5.62, 95% CI 1.34, 23.4], and problematic test anxiety [AOR 5.02, 95% CI 2.67, 9.42] were associated with heightened vulnerability. ConclusionThis study unveils a pervasive and concerning landscape of psychological distress among medical students in Addis Ababa, with a stark gender disparity. Interventions targeting test anxiety, fortifying social support structures, and providing accessible mental health resources are essential to mitigate these challenges and enhance the resilience and well-being of medical students, thereby reducing or preventing psychological distress.

IJCM_388A: Sleep disturbances and associated factors among undergraduate medical students in a tertiary health care center in central India: A cross sectional study

Background: Within the rigorous environment of medical education, the well-being of students is a critical concern. Sleep disturbances, a prevalent yet understudied issue, may pose significant challenges to the academics and mental health of medical students. Objective: To assess the sleep disturbances and associated factors among undergraduate medical students in a tertiary health care center. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 256 undergraduate medical students in a tertiary health care center from September to November 2023. Study was conducted using self-administered questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic profile and standardized tool Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used. Results: Out of 256 students,161(62.9%) were suffering from sleep disturbances.72% of them had less than 1 hour time gap between screen time and their regular sleep. There was a significant association between sleep disturbances and repeated worrying about lots of tests, illness during past month, felt isolated and feeling lost something in life. Conclusion: This study showed that majority of undergraduate medical students suffer from sleep disturbances. It becomes evident that fostering a supportive environment and promoting healthy sleep practices are indispensable for the overall wellbeing and success of medical students.

IJCM_184A: A Study on Impact of Addiction to Social Networking Sites on Psychological Well Being of Undergraduate Medical Students of GMC, Siddipet

Background: India is the third largest country to use social networking sites. A social networking site is a website where a user can create a profile and build a personal network that connects him/her to other users. Social networking sites are increasingly affecting the psychological health of teenagers and young adults and so found that addiction to online social networking sites has several psychiatric disorders, including depressive symptoms, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Objectives: To find out the addiction to social networking sites and assess the psychological well-being of undergraduate medical students of GMC, Siddipet Methodology: A cross-sectional study is being conducted in the Government medical college, Siddipet for two months among undergraduate medical students by universal sampling. The self-administered, pre-validated questionnaire, using Ryff’s scale and Bergan scale, for psychological well- being and social networking site addiction respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were done in SPSS using appropriate statistical analysis. Results: A total of 806 students of various years of MBBS participated in the study, Males were 301 and females were 505 Among them, out of the total 806 students studied, the psychological well-being was found to be low in 6(0.74%) and moderate in 597(74.07%). In the present study, out of the total 806 medical students studied, 148(18.36%) were found to have social networking site addiction, out of which males were 52(35.13%) and females were 96(64.86%). Out of 148 medical students who were found to have social networking site addiction, psychological well-being was found to be low in 4(2.70%) and moderate in 111(75%) and the p value was found to be statistically significant at 0.007. When the psychological well-being was compared in students between those who had social networking site addiction and those who didn’t had social networking site addiction, psychological well-being was comparatively less (0.74% vs 2.70% in Low psychological well-being and (75% vs 74.07%) and the difference was found to be statistically significant (p value = 0.007). Conclusion: A significant percentage of medical students (18.36%) were found to have addiction to social networking sites in our study because of the widespread availability of gadgets. Psychological well-being was found to be comparatively less in students who had social networking site addiction compared to those who didn’t had the addiction.

Medical students’ mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the well-being, both mental and physical, of students worldwide. Medical students faced challenges in the educational process, including online education, uncertainty as for the terms of licensing exams, and limited practical experience. The present study aimed to compare the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of medical students from Ukraine, India, and African countries, focusing on the frequency of incidence of psychosomatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction, and depression. 230 students of the Academic and Research Medical Institute of Sumy State University were survey participants. The mental well-being of medical students was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using the statistical software PAST v4.03. It was found that 60 % of students had mental health disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Symptoms of depression were detected in 15% of medical students, psychosomatic symptoms in 34%, anxiety and insomnia in 47%, and social dysfunction in 65% of respondents. The main psycho-emotional disorder in most students was social dysfunction, which was associated with limited social activity during quarantine. It was found that students from India and African countries had a higher incidence of depression than Ukrainian students. Obviously, being away from home during a pandemic has an additional negative impact on the mental health of international students. The frequency of anxiety and insomnia was higher among Ukrainians than among foreign students. Changes in learning environments and concerns about personal and family health have contributed to heightened anxiety levels among Ukrainian students. It should be noted that with the transition to online learning and communication, students had to spend more time in front of screens, which could contribute to digital fatigue, disrupt sleep patterns, and negatively affect mental well-being. The results of the study provided valuable insight into the mental health challenges faced by medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to their nationality, highlighting the need for targeted psychological support interventions for students to improve their mental health.

IJCM_342A: Nomophobia and its Relationship with Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Undergraduate Medical Students Of Murshidabad Medical College, West Bengal: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: The study aimed to estimate the magnitude of nomophobia, prevalence and degree of depression, anxiety and stress; the relationship between nomophobia and different mental health status; and also finding the correlates of nomophobia among undergraduate medical students. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken in Murshidabad Medical College during September-November 2023, among a calculated sample of 222 undergraduate medical students selected through stratified random sampling. A self-reported English questionnaire comprising background characteristics, smartphone use related characteristics; and validated nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q) and depression, anxiety and stress scale (DASS) were used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Results: Among the study participants 13.1%, 72.1% and 14.8% had mild, moderate and severe nomophobia respectively. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were 54.5%, 69.4% and 37.4% respectively. Multivariable binary logistic regression revealed that students aged less than 21 years (AOR: 6.088; 95% CI: 2.053- 18.055), students belonging to joint family (AOR: 6.836; 95% CI: 2.392-19.537) and daily average time spent on smartphone more than 5 hours (AOR:5.314; 95% CI: 1.919-14.721) were at higher risk of developing severe nomophobia. Correlation analysis revealed depression was significantly correlated with Nomophobia (Spearman rho:0.200, p value:0.003). Conclusion: Nomophobia is quite prevalent among medical students with varying degree of severity. Mental health status specially depression is correlated with nomophobia. Findings suggests the need for supporting the holistic well-being of medical students through proper health education strategies and workshops on mental health.

Tıp Fakültesi Öğrencilerinde Sağlıklı Yaşam Biçimi Davranışları ile Esenlik Halinin İncelenmesi

Araştırmada bir tıp fakültesinde eğitim alan öğrencilerin sağlıklı hayat tarzı davranışları ve esenlik halinin incelenmesi amaçlandı. Kesitsel ve tanımlayıcı tipte tasarlanan çalışmanın evrenini bir tıp fakültesinde 2022-2023 eğitim yılında öğrenim gören tüm öğrenciler (n=1407 kişi) oluşturdu. Öğrencilerin %23.52’sine ulaşıldı (n=331). "Sağlıklı Yaşam Biçimi Davranışları Ölçeği-II" (SYBDÖ-II) ve "Yeni Esenlik Ölçeği " kullanıldı. Verilerin analizinde Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis ve Spearman Korelasyon Testleri kullanıldı. Anlamlılık sınırı 0.05 olarak kabul edildi. Öğrencilerin SYBDÖ-II genel ortalaması 123.35±19.63 puandı. Kronik hastalığı olan 30 öğrencinin SYBDÖ-II puanı 114.66±17.13 iken kronik hastalığı olmayan 301 öğrencinin SYBDÖ-II puanı 124.22±19.68 idi (p=0.009). SYBDÖ-II’nin alt ölçeği olan Fiziksel Aktivite alt ölçeğinde en yüksek puan ortalaması dönem 3 (18.96±5.69), en düşük puan ortalaması dönem 5 öğrencilerine (16.04±5.32) aitti (p=0.006). SYBDÖ-II alt ölçeği olan Manevi Gelişim alt ölçeğinde dönem 1 puan ortalaması 26.22±4.63, dönem 6 puan ortalaması 22.78±5.37 idi (p=0.000). Öğrencilerin Yeni Esenlik Ölçeği genel ortalaması 80.38±16.11 puan idi. Yeni Esenlik Ölçeğinin alt ölçeği olan Kişilik ve Erdem alt ölçeğinde en yüksek puan ortalaması dönem 1 öğrencilerinde (16.57±2.74) iken en düşük puan ortalaması dönem 6 öğrencilerine (14.14±3.33) ait idi (p=0.000). SYBDÖ-II ile Yeni Esenlik Ölçeği karşılaştırıldığında pozitif yönde orta derecede korelasyon mevcuttu (p=0.000, r=0.574). Ölçekler arasında orta derecede korelasyon görüldü. Sağlıklı yaşam tarzları ve uygulanması konusu, tıp fakültesi öğrencilerinin meslek hayatlarında örnek olmaları açısından eğitim müfredatına eklenebilir.

Phenomenon of Psychological Well-Being in the Context of Medical Students’ Satisfaction with Educational Activities

Introduction. Preservation and strengthening of mental and psychological health of students is one of the priority tasks of development of modern professional education in Russia. However, the recent studies into psychological well-being of medical students have shown an average and low level of its formation. The discovered problem is complicated by the lack of studies that would show the relationship between the peculiarities of the organization of the university educational environment and the satisfaction with the learning activities of students. This is important for the development and practical realization of optimal conditions for the formation of psychological well-being of medical university students. The aim of the study is to determine the specifics of the state of psychological well-being of medical university students in connection with the level of their satisfaction with learning. Materials and Methods. First, second and fifth-year medical students participated in the servey. The following diagnostic tools were used: “Scale of psychological well-being” (K. Riff) and “Questionnaire of satisfaction with educational activities” (L. V. Mishchenko). The analysis of the results of the study revealed statistically significant correlations between the scales of satisfaction with the educational activities of medical university students and their psychological well-being. Results. The analysis of the results of the study revealed statistically significant correlations between the scales of satisfaction with learning activities of medical students and their psychological well-being. Second-year students demonstrated high indicators of psychological well-being, the lowest ones were found in fifth-year students. The obtained results create prerequisites for comprehension of the process of optimizing the educational environment of medical school, focused on the preservation and promotion of mental health of students. Discussion and Conclusion. The conclusions of this study can be useful for the management corps of the university in order to develop and implement optimal psychological and pedagogical conditions for the organization of the educational environment and increase the level of satisfaction in the student community with all components of the structure of learning activities as one of the main conditions for the development of psychological well-being of young people.

Medical student wellbeing during COVID-19: a qualitative study of challenges, coping strategies, and sources of support

BackgroundMedical students face challenges to their mental wellbeing and have a high prevalence of mental health problems. During training, they are expected to develop strategies for dealing with stress. This study investigated factors medical students perceived as draining and replenishing during COVID-19, using the ‘coping reservoir’ model of wellbeing.MethodsIn synchronous interactive pre-recorded webinars, 78 fourth-year medical students in the UK responded to reflective prompts. Participants wrote open-text comments on a Padlet site. Responses were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.ResultsAnalysis identified five themes. COVID-19 exacerbated academic pressures, while reducing the strategies available to cope with stress. Relational connections with family and friends were affected by the pandemic, leading to isolation and reliance on housemates for informal support. Relationships with patients were adversely affected by masks and telephone consultations, however attending placement was protective for some students’ wellbeing. Experiences of formal support were generally positive, but some students experienced attitudinal and practical barriers.ConclusionsThis study used a novel methodology to elicit medical students’ reflections on their mental wellbeing during COVID-19. Our findings reinforce and extend the ‘coping reservoir’ model, increasing our understanding of factors that contribute to resilience or burnout. Many stressors that medical students typically face were exacerbated during COVID-19, and their access to coping strategies and support were restricted. The changes to relationships with family, friends, patients, and staff resulted in reduced support and isolation. Recognising the importance of relational connections upon medical students’ mental wellbeing can inform future support.

Embracing Well-being: Strategies to Cultivate and Prioritize Wellness and Resilience in Undergraduate Medical Students

Abstract From the perspective of medical students, they are exposed to intense academic pressures, demanding clinical experiences, peer pressure, and emotionally stressful events during their period of undergraduate training. In the field of medical education, wellness and resilience have attracted lots of attention, owing to their positive impact on the personal and professional lives of medical students. The well-being and resilience of medical students are determined by a wide range of personal, family-level, and workplace-related attributes. Acknowledging the impact that lack of wellness and poor resilience can have on the working efficiency of medical students, it is indispensable that we must plan for specific strategies to systematically address them. In conclusion, wellness and resilience among medical students occupy a special place in medical education delivery. Considering the fact that these domains are not still addressed in medical colleges universally, it is the need of the hour to prioritize the well-being of medical students and empower them with resilience skills to ensure their optimal personal and professional growth and production of more compassionate and empathetic health-care professionals.

Academic performance and well-being of medical students during online learning of basic sciences in a newly established medical faculty

Introduction: The Faculty of Medicine, University of Moratuwa, established during the COVID-19 pandemic, was compelled to conduct the teaching activities online for the first intake of students until their first bar examination. Online learning is known to be linked to several health issues. This study aims to explore the academic performance and perceived health effects related to online learning in the Faculty of Medicine, Moratuwa.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among all 104 first-intake students using an anonymous online self-administered questionnaire to explore health effects and academic performance after ethical clearance.Results: Out of 104 students, 82 students responded (response rate=78.85%). Majority participated from home using their own laptop (74.4%) and personal Wi-Fi (69.5%) and spent 5-10 hours daily for online academic activities (72%). Majority complained of related physical (86.6%), and psychological (81.7%) health issues: eye problems (69.5%), headache (47.6%), backache (43.9%), stress (46.3%) and concentration difficulties (45.1%). The first bar examination was cleared by 84.1% with the majority (52.4%) obtaining classes. There was a statistically significant positive association (p&lt; .05) between physical and psychological health concerns with the average screen-time spent on academic activities, but not with the academic performance. There was also no statistically significant association between screen-time and academic performance.Conclusions: Majority of students using online learning had related physical and psychological health issues which were positively associated with the screen-time though not with academic performance. Designing online activities with less screen time may be considered as a strategy to minimise health effects related to online learning.