Asking future doctors: what support options do medical students want to cope with medical school?

Asking future doctors: what support options do medical students want to cope with medical school?

Aim Medical school is demanding, and research aimed at improving the mental health of medical students is scarce. No quantitative study about which specific measures students actually prefer to reinforce their health has been performed yet. The aim of this survey is to find out which types of suppor...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of public health Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 115 - 122
Main Authors: Ehring, E., Frese, T., Fuchs, S., Dudo, K., Pukas, L., Stoevesandt, D., Watzke, S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2023
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Chi-square test
Epidemiology
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Medical research
Medical students
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental depression
Mental health
Original Article
Public Health
Quantitative research
Statistical analysis
Students
Subgroups
Surveys
Medical students
Depression
Support options
Mental health
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Aim Medical school is demanding, and research aimed at improving the mental health of medical students is scarce. No quantitative study about which specific measures students actually prefer to reinforce their health has been performed yet. The aim of this survey is to find out which types of support should be given to medical students according to students’ own perspectives. Subject and methods A classroom survey of medical students ( N  = 1108, years 1–5) was carried out regarding various support options and depressive symptoms. The statistical analysis was finalized using chi-square tests, t-tests, and the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Results The support options with the highest average scores were accessible sports classes, desire for free water/fruit during lectures, and a clear study structure. Groups to exchange experiences with, including social media groups, were favored less. Depressive symptoms in students correlated with a higher level of applicability of support options. Conclusion Medical students require supportive study conditions. Specific subgroups of medical students could not be correlated to a particular support program. Thus, we need a support program that addresses students’ wishes, not a program based on feasibility, staff interests or passions.
ISSN:2198-1833
1613-2238
DOI:10.1007/s10389-020-01421-w