The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Academic Stress among Medical Students of King Khalid University: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Medical students are the category of academic population with the highest levels of stress. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of academic stress among medical students in Saudi Arabia and to identify its associated factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine at King Khalid University, Abha. The Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) was used to evaluate the stress caused by different factors. A total of 422 medical students participated in this study. Among the participants, 115 (27.3%) were male and 307 (72.7%) were female. The highest percentage of students were perceiving moderate to severe stress due to academic-related stressors (97.1%), followed by teaching- and learning-related stressors (93.9%) and group activities-related stressors (88.3%). The lowest domain in which students perceived moderate to severe stress was drive and desire-related stressors (65.8%). The mean percentage of students who perceived moderate-to-severe stress in all domains of stressors was 85.5%. We can conclude that medical students have a high degree of stress, and we emphasize the importance of implementing stress management programs to teach students how to handle stress in order to avoid negative effects on their health and academic performance.

Detection and Analysis of Stress-Related Posts in Reddit’s Acamedic Communities

“…Our findings support previous research that found stress factors in students: academic, teaching, and learning-related stressors [11]. The same topics were detected in our research and are shown in Figure 13.…”

“…We challenge the findings of [11], asserting that lowergrade students experience more stress than sixth-year medical students. Our research findings indicate that students in higher grades, specifically those pursuing Master's degrees (the same age as medical students in the 5th-6th grades), demonstrate the highest stress levels.…”

“…In the dynamic landscape of higher education, marked by rigorous academic demands and the pursuit of future goals, stress has become a pervasive issue for both students and pedagogical staff [9]- [11]. The other study reveals that students aged 18-19 exhibited more symptoms of common mental disorders than non-students, though the effect size was small [12].…”

Is There a Burnout Epidemic among Medical Students? Results from a Systematic Review

“…Therefore, academic burnout has become a relevant factor affecting college students' mental health. Although high levels of burnout are common among university students, medical students are particularly vulnerable because of the persistent exposure to specific risk factors, such as the caring of people suffering from different disorders, and the high competitiveness in medical school [99,100]. In particular, the tough competition among medical students could probably be considered as a motivational drive that is helpful in overcoming the several obstacles of the training curriculum.…”

The Role of Physical Activity in Enhancing Mental Health among Adults Facing

“…Bughi et al (2006) conducted research in California involving 104 students and found that the prevalence of stress in medical students was 51%. Research in Mansoura, Saudi Arabia, which showed that 94.5% of medical students experienced stress (Al-Shahrani et al, 2023). Research conducted in Thailand by Saipanish (2003) involving 686 students showed that 61.4% of medical students experienced stress.…”