Stress life events among students of Rafsanjan Mdical Sciences University 2002

Introduction. The professional education can be a very stressful experience. The high level of stress often leads to disruptions in physiological and psychological health. Although a moderate degree of stress can promote students’ creativity and achievement, the intense pressures and relentless demands of medical education may destroy personal relationship and ultimately, affect patient care. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of level and sources of stress in students of Rafsanjan Medical Sciences University in various years of their educational program. Methods. The sample consisted of 260 students of medical, dental, nursing and paramedical faculties in Rafsanjan –IRAN. Data were collected using a stress inventory questionnaire. Then the data were analyzed using frequency distributions, analysis of variance and chi-square. Results. The results showed that the students perceived stress from several sources. For the study population the mean score on the stress scale was 99.08+-29.05 out of a possible score of 144. Results also indicates that the mean scores for each groups of students ranged from 77.94 to 113.92. Level of effects of stressful life events, as perceived by students according to frequency, the highest amount of stress was attributed to stress items: academic, environment, financial and personal factors. The items perceived as high stress were dissatisfaction with quantity and difficulty and overwhelming burden of information. Dental students had lowest score and anaesthesiology students had highest scores. The scores for stress life events for all students showed a significant difference based on sex, marital status, term, course and clinical clerkship experience. Conclusion. The sources of stress need to be examined carefully. Academic-related stressors need to be addressed by faculty and students from the perspective that there may be ways of reducing this stress through reorganization of courses within programs. Stressors related to the profession need to be addressed and professional identity fostered so that we are able to produce strong graduates who truly believe in their profession.