Estrés Académico y su Relación en la Vida Cotidiana de los Estudiantes de Medicina de la Universidad INDESAG 2025

Introduction: Academic stress is intrinsic to school life. Although its intensity varies, it generates a wide range of negative responses, typically affecting students physically, psychologically, and behaviorally. Objective: To describe the physical, psychological, and behavioral reactions and their relationship with the stress commonly experienced by medical students at INDESAG University, located in the city of Acapulco de Juárez, throughout their studies. Materials and Methods: This study employs a mixed-methods approach with a non-experimental, descriptive, and cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 66 students. Two data collection instruments were used: the SISCO Academic Stress Inventory and an adapted version of the Perceived Stress Scale. Results: The study revealed that 50% of the medical students exhibited a moderate level of academic stress. Chi-square testing identified a significant relationship between stress levels and physical reactions (p = 0.03), as well as psychological reactions (p = 0.00), the latter being the most pronounced. In contrast, although behavioral manifestations were present among the students, no statistically significant relationship was found (p = 0.09). Conclusions: Academic stress constitutes a significant source of adverse physical and psychological reactions in students, showing a strong and direct correlation with both. Conversely, behavioral responses did not appear to be significantly affected by academic stress, thereby indicating no meaningful relationship.