Academic Stress and Suicidal Ideation Among Students of Medical Colleges in Peshawar: An Exploratory Study

The current study was conducted with the aim of exploring and investigating the incidence of academic stress and suicidal ideation among medical students in Peshawar, Pakistan. It also sought to find out whether there is any significant relationship between medical students' academic stress and suicidal ideation. Furthermore, it focused on determining whether female students exhibit a higher rate of suicidal ideation in comparison to male students. The population of the study was the medical students of the four medical colleges of Peshawar and both genders were included of 2nd and 3rd academic years. A simple random sampling technique was used for the selection of samples from three medical colleges in Peshawar city. The total sample size was 180 medical students. A Pearson Correlation and t-test were employed in the data analysis process to investigate and assess the correlation between academic stress and suicidal ideation. Male and female participants perceived stress and suicidal ideation were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale and Suicidal Ideation Scale. The current study indicated that a strong positive relationship has been noticed between suicidal ideation and academic stress.