Aim: Stress is a prevalent factor affecting medical students' academic performance and overall well-being. University demands lead to increased stress and anxiety, impacting students’ mental health. This study aims to examine the relationship between stress and psychological well-being across all years of medical education, from first-year to sixth-year students.
Materials and Methods: A total of 145 medical students from first to sixth year participated in this cross-sectional study. Two standardized scales were used: the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to assess stress levels and the Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-Being (QEWB) to measure psychological well-being. The online questionnaire consisted of 27 items divided into two parts: (1) Stress assessment and (2) Psychological well-being assessment. Questions were structured in three formats: (a) short-answer questions, (b) binary "Yes" or "No" questions, and (c) Likert scale items graded from 0 ("never") to 4 ("very often").
Results: In terms of gender distribution, female participants were more prevalent, with a total of 88, compared to 51 male participants. Additionally, 6 participants preferred not to disclose their gender. The participants had a mean age of 21.20 years (±2.120). Participants exhibited high stress levels; however, no significant differences were found in stress or well-being scores (QEWB and PSS) across the six student year groups (p-values>0.05).
Conclusion: This study offers valuable insights for researchers, educators, and healthcare practitioners on the relationship between stress and psychological well-being among medical students. Understanding this relationship can inform targeted strategies to support students from entry through graduation.
Key words: Stress, psychological well-being, medical students, perceived stress scale
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