Exploring the Impact of Academic, Environmental, and Psychosocial Stressors on the Mental Well-Being of Medical Students

Exploring the multifaceted impact of academic, environmental, and psychosocial stressors on students’ overall mental well-being is necessary, identifying key areas for intervention and support. Objectives: To see the prevalence of different stressors in medical students. Also, to assess their mental well-being and the correlation of different stressors with it. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study in a private medical college was done from July 2024 to December 2024. A questionnaire was developed through Google Forms and distributed through social media platforms, and quota non-purposive sampling was done. Stressors were assessed through the Likert scale, and mental well-being through the Kessler scale. Chi-square and independent sample T-tests were employed. P-value <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Mild to moderate effects of academic, environmental, and psychosocial stressors were observed. Mostly, students were having severe mental distress, and an equal percentage were likely to be well. A moderate positive correlation between mental well-being and stressors was observed with significant p-values between mental well-being and academic stressors (r=0.497, p=<0.001), environmental stressors (r=0.432, p=<0.001), and psychosocial stressors (r=0.489, p=<0.001); depicting increased distress were associated with higher prevalence of stressors among participants. Conclusions: It was concluded that female, and students of final year MBBS were having more mental distress. Stressors were having a mild to moderate effect on participants. Establishing an academic culture that provides a haven for all, normalizes seeking help, and promotes collaboration over competition would go a long way toward alleviating some of the stressors that medical students face