eprintid: 27016
rev_number: 12
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1589
dir: disk0/00/02/70/16
datestamp: 2019-08-27 13:36:12
lastmod: 2019-10-18 13:42:21
status_changed: 2019-08-27 13:36:12
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Weber, Jeannette
creators_name: Skodda, Stefanie
creators_name: Muth, Thomas
creators_name: Angerer, Peter
creators_name: Loerbroks, Adrian
title: Stressors and resources related to academic studies and improvements suggested by medical students: a qualitative study
subjects: ddc-610
divisions: i-65300
keywords: Qualitative research, Focus groups, Stress, psychological, Health resources, Education, medical
abstract: Background: Prior evidence suggests that medical students’ mental health is poor and deteriorates during the course of academic studies. This qualitative study therefore aims to improve our understanding of medical students’ perceptions of i) stressors related to their academic studies, ii) resources that may facilitate coping with those stressors and iii) suggestions to potentially reduce stress.

Methods: Eight focus groups were conducted with medical students enrolled at a medical school in Germany until thematic saturation was reached. A topic guide was used to facilitate the discussion. Subsequently, focus group discussions were transcribed and content-analyzed using MaxQDA.

Results: Organizational factors especially related to inadequate information flow as well as exams (e.g. repeat exams, scheduling, perceived unfair grading), poor theoretical and practical teaching quality, time and performance pressure, social interactions and individual characteristics (e.g. self-expectations, fear of failure) emerged as major contributors to stress. Resources perceived to facilitate coping with those stressors pertained to some other organizational aspects (e.g. flexibility, availability of contact persons), career prospects, practical training, social support, personal characteristics (e.g. knowledge base, past experience) and leisure time. Suggestions for improvement related primarily to organizational measures rather than individual-level measures.

Conclusions: Besides well-known stressors (e.g. exams and high performance pressure), some new aspects emerged from our study including stress related to organizational factors and repeat exams. Accordingly, students’ wishes for organizational-level interventions, including better information systems and better interweaving of practical and theoretical education, could be first target areas for improvement.
date: 2019
publisher: BioMed Central
id_scheme: DOI
ppn_swb: 1678819875
own_urn: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-270165
language: eng
bibsort: WEBERJEANNSTRESSORSA2019
full_text_status: public
publication: BMC Medical Education
volume: 19
number: 312
place_of_pub: London
pagerange: 1-14
issn: 1472-6920
citation:   Weber, Jeannette ; Skodda, Stefanie ; Muth, Thomas ; Angerer, Peter ; Loerbroks, Adrian  (2019) Stressors and resources related to academic studies and improvements suggested by medical students: a qualitative study.  BMC Medical Education, 19 (312).  pp. 1-14.  ISSN 1472-6920     
document_url: https://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/27016/1/12909_2019_Article_1747.pdf