Stress and coping strategies among medical students in basrah

Abstract EN

This is a cross-sectional study carried out to study stress and the coping strategies among medical students of the University of Basrah for the year 2005.

The study involved 300 students (50 students from each class) selected randomly.

Special question form was designed for the purpose of the study; it included sociodemograhic criteria, like age, sex, residence and class, academic factors, delay years and coping strategies.

The study found that 44.6% of the medical students perceived stress, and the highest prevalence was among the first year followed by the third then the fifth year medical students, with significantly higher rates among females than males, among those originally from other governorates and among those having delay years.

The major reported cause of stress was academic factors and the current political and security reasons.

The response or coping strategies vary between individuals.

The study recommended that consideration should be given to program developers and health decision makers to focus on significant actions to reduce the academic stress perceived by medical students.

Psychological consultations have to be in each medical school trying to help the students to face their individual stressors in a healthy way and to increase the emotional and financial support for the students especially those from other governorates.