Stress, Causes of Stress and Coping Strategies of Pakistani Medical Students

Background: Medical education can be highly stressful and impacts students’ mental health. The only way to deal with stress is better understanding of coping mechanisms and their use. Objective: To identify the level of stress and stressors among medical students. Another aim of this study was to investigate a relationship between perceived stress and coping strategies among medical students. Study type, settings & duration: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at Fatima Jinnah Medical University and King Edward Medical University, Lahore from August to December 2021. Methodology: The purposive sampling technique was used to collect the data. The sample was comprised of 200 medical students (boys=100, girls=100). Perceived stress scale (PSC) and brief cope inventory by Carver was used to collect the data. Results: The mean age of participants was 20.6 years. The findings showed a high prevalence (59%) of stress among medical students. The results also showed that perceived stress had a significant positive relationship (r=.51**) with coping. Students who suffer from stress use active coping strategies as compared to passive coping strategies. Analyses also showed that female students had more stress (68%) as compared to male students. Conclusion: Medical students face a high level of stress (59%). According to our findings, female students suffer more in stress. Students engage in both active and passive coping strategies, but active coping strategies are more used by male students and are found more useful to cope stress.