Perceived stress and coping styles among medical students during social unrest in Manipur: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Background: Stress is mental or emotional strain, and coping is the constantly changing efforts to manage such troubled situations. Since the social unrest in May 2023, students and professionals in various medical institutes have been experiencing high levels of stress. Objective: We aimed to assess the perceived stress levels and coping styles among students in a tertiary care hospital during social unrest in Manipur. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the students in a tertiary care hospital in Imphal, Manipur, during August and September 2023. Students across all academic courses were approached for data collection using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as mean with standard deviation and percentage were used. Chi-square test, t test, and ANOVA were employed. Results: The proportion of students having low, moderate, and high levels of perceived stress was 5.6%, 78.5%, and 15.9%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the level of perceived stress among gender and domicile state. Emotion-focused coping was the most used coping strategy. Significant differences were found in the mean score of emotion-focused coping among genders, and the mean score of emotion-focused and problem-focused coping among those who have past experiences of social unrest or not was observed. The mean score of emotion-focused coping among the academic courses and religions was also significant. The mean score of problem-focused coping was significant among the religions. Conclusions: Medical students should be given mental health awareness and care, especially during stressful times such as events of social unrest.