sdü tıp fak derg

Medical Journal of Süleyman Demirel University

2602-2109

Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi

10.17343/sdutfd.1496746

Psychiatry

Psikiyatri

Perceived Stress in Medical Education: Relationship with Empathy and Stigmatisation

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1259-4964

Bacık Yaman

Gözde

SÜLEYMAN DEMİREL ÜNİVERSİTESİ

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2564-0057

Nar

Berna

SULEYMAN DEMIREL UNIVERSITY

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0848-5201

İşcan

Gökçe

SULEYMAN DEMIREL UNIVERSITY

09 29 2024

31 3 261 270 06 10 2024 08 27 2024

1994

Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi

Objective: Medical students have been shown to report high levels of perceived stress. Perceived stress leads to a loss of empathy and negatively affects attitudes and behaviours towards patients. This study aimed to investigate the perceived stress levels and empathy skills of medical students and their relationship with their attitudes to mental illness.Material and Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Türkiye between March 2024 and April 2024 using an online survey. A total of 544 medical students attending university in the academic year 2023-2024 completed the questionnaire, which included the sociodemographic data form, the perceived medical school stress scale, the empathy scale, and the beliefs towards mental illness scale. Participants were asked whether they had received psychiatry training, whether they had been diagnosed with a mental illness, and whether they would disclose if they were diagnosed with a mental illness.Results: By gender, the mean Perceived Medical School Stress Scale score of females was statistically significantly higher than that of males (p=0.035). Perceived Medical School Stress Scale scores did not differ by training year, whereas Beliefs Towards Mental Illness Scale Weak Social and Interpersonal Skills sub-dimension scores did (p=0.643; and p=0.027, respectively). The Empathy Scale score of students who received psychiatry training was statistically significantly higher than that of students who did not receive a placement (p=0.003). A low significant negative correlation was found between the Perceived Medical School Stress and Empathy Scale scores (rho=-0.098; p=0.005). Conclusion: In our study, the perceived stress of medical students during their training differs according to gender, and its relationship with empathy skills is demonstrated. Individualised interventions to prevent and alleviate stress should be developed for students who need support coping with difficulties during their training.

Empathy Medical students Stigma Stress

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