Causes of Academic Stress and Coping Strategies among Undergraduate Medical Students in Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To explore the common causes of educational stress and the coping strategies among undergraduate medical students in Pakistan. Study Design: Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Fatima Jinnah Medical University, Lahore, Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, and Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan, in November 2024. Methodology: Data were collected through Google Forms and the students' filling of the forms was considered consent to participate in the study. Causes of educational stress and proposed coping mechanisms were recorded. The association of various demographic factors with various common causes of stress was assessed by applying the chi-square test. Results: A total of 498 students participated in the study. Among these, 72.7% were females and 27.3% were males. The mean age of all was 21.9 ± 1.7 years. The most common cause of stress was disturbed study-life balance (68.5%) followed by worrying about the future (57.6%) and demanding curriculum (42.4%). The most common coping mechanism was practising faith/religion (65.8%), followed by prioritising sleep (51.4%), pursuing hobbies (49.4%), and engaging in sports and leisure activities (49.0%). Disturbed study-life balance and demanding curriculum were found to be associated with female gender and place of study/institution (p <0.001) and worrying about the future was found to be associated with the higher year of study (p <0.001). Conclusion: Disturbed study-life balance, demanding curriculum, and worrying about the future are the most common causes of educational stress in Pakistani medical students. Practising faith/religion is the most commonly employed coping mechanism. It is essential to explore the causes of stress and coping strategies in order to ensure the mental and physical well-being of medical students.