Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Well-Being in First Year Medical Students

  • Empirical Report
  • Published:
Academic Psychiatry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

This study explored the well-being, attitudes toward counseling, willingness to seek counseling, and coping strategies of first year medical students. Gender differences in attitudes toward and willingness to seek counseling were also explored.

Methods

One hundred five first year medical students (98 % response rate) were administered a 59-item questionnaire about well-being, attitudes toward counseling, willingness to seek counseling, and coping strategies during the first week of medical school. The data were analyzed with hierarchical regression and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).

Results

Female medical students were less willing to seek counseling and had more negative attitudes toward counseling compared to male medical students. Most students indicated that they chose not to seek counseling because they did not feel a need for it. Three students reported that stigma prevented them from seeking counseling. Unhealthy coping strategies (denial, self-blame, and substance use) were negatively associated with well-being while healthy coping strategies (active coping, emotional support, and instrumental support) did not correlate with well-being.

Conclusions

Medical schools should continue efforts to make counseling accessible. Conversations about counseling may help address the more negative attitudes of female students toward counseling, a finding which merits further investigation given that women typically have more positive attitudes toward counseling than men. Use of unhealthy coping strategies can be addressed in classes, clubs, and by advisors and mentors. Limitations of this study include that only first year medical students were surveyed and that it was a cross sectional study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Dunn LB, Iglewicz A, Moutier C. A conceptual model of medical student well-being: promoting resilience and preventing burnout. Acad Psychiatry. 2008;32:44–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Givens JL, Tjia J. Depressed medical students’ use of mental health services and barriers to use. Acad Med. 2002;77:918–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Worley LLM. Our fallen peers: a mandate for change. Acad Psychiatry. 2008;32:8–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Systematic review of depression, anxiety, and other indicators of psychological distress among U.S. and Canadian medical students. Acad Med. 2006;81:354–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Goebert D, Thompson D, Takeshita J, et al. Depressive symptoms in medical students and residents: a multischool study. Acad Med. 2009;84:236–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Schwenk TL, Davis L, Wimsatt LA. Depression, stigma, and suicidal ideation in medical students. JAMA. 2010;304:1181–90.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Choi D, Tolova V, Socha E, et al. Substance use and attitudes on professional conduct among medical students: a single institution study. Acad Psychiatry. 2013;37:191–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Ketoja J, Svidkovski AS, Seppa K. Risky drinking and its detection among medical students. Addict Behav. 2011;38:2115–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Huntington JL, et al. Personal life events and medical student burnout: a multicenter study. Acad Med. 2006;81:374–84.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Dyrbye LN, Harper W, Moutier C, et al. A multi-institutional study exploring the impact of positive mental health on medical students’ professionalism in an era of high burnout. Acad Med. 2012;87:1024–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Thomas MR, Dyrbye LN, Huntington JL, et al. How do distress and well-being relate to medical student empathy? A multicenter study. J Gen Intern Med. 2007;22:177–83.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Rodolfa E, Chavoor S, Velasquez J. Counseling services at University of California Davis: helping medical students cope. JAMA. 1995;274:1396–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Kligfeld M, Hoffman KI. Medical student attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. J Med Educ. 1979;54:617–21.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Smith LD, Peck PI, McGovern RJ. Comparison of medical students, medical school faculty primary care physicians, and the general population on attitudes toward psychological help-seeking. Psychol Rep. 2002;91:1268–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Gonzalez JM, Alegria M, Prihoda TJ. How do attitudes toward mental health treatment vary by age, gender, and ethnicity/race in young adults? J Community Psychol. 2005;33:611–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Nam SK, Chu HJ, Lee MK. A Meta-analysis of gender differences in attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. J Am Coll Health. 2010;59:110–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. O’Neil JM. Summarizing 25 years of research on men’s gender role conflict using the Gender Role Conflict Scale: new research paradigms and clinical implications. Couns Psychol. 2008;36:358–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Satcher D. Mental health: a report of the surgeon general. Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html.

  19. Conner KO, Copeland VC, Brown C. Mental health treatment seeking among older adults with depression: the impact of stigma and race. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010;18:531–43.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Digiuli M, Jones FW, Carnic PM. Perceived social stigma and attitudes towards seeking therapy in training: a cross-national study. Psychotherapy. 2013;50:213–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Myers M, Fine C. Suicide in physicians: toward prevention. Medscape Gen Med. 2003. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/462619.

  22. Chew-Graham CA, Rogers A, Yassin N. “I wouldn’t want it on my CV or their records”: medical students’ experiences of help-seeking for mental health problems. Med Educ. 2003;37:873–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Vogel DL, Wade NG, Hacker AH. Perceived public stigma and the willingness to seek counseling: the mediating roles of self-stigma and attitudes toward counseling. J Couns Psychol. 2007;54:40–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Brimstone R, Thistlethwaite JE, Quirk F. Behaviour of medical students in seeking mental and physical health care: exploration and comparison with psychology students. Med Educ. 2007;41:74–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Carver CS, Scheier MF, Weintraub JK. Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1989;56:267–83.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Park CL, Adler NE. Coping style as a predictor of health and well-being across the first year in medical school. Health Psychol. 2003;22:627–31.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Chang E, Eddins-Folensbee F, Coverdale J. Survey of the prevalence of burnout, stress, depression, and the use of supports by medical students at one school. Acad Psychiatry. 2012;36:177–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Moffat KJ, McConnachie A, Ross S, et al. First year medical student stress and coping in a problem-based learning medical curriculum. Med Educ. 2004;38:482–91.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Schonfeld AR. Medical schools take steps to address students’ mental distress. Acad Physician Sci. 2009;2–6.

  30. Fischer EH, Farina A. Attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help: a shortened form and considerations for research. J Coll Stud Dev. 1995;36:368–73.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Dowd ET, Boroto DR. Differential effects of counselor self disclosure, self involving statements, and interpretation. J Couns Psychol. 1982;29:8–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Veit CT, Ware Jr JE. The structure of psychological distress and well-being in general populations. J Consult Clin Psych. 1983;51:730–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Carver CS. You want to measure coping but your protocol’s too long: consider the Brief COPE. Intl J Behav Med. 1997;4:92–100.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Rhoton LA. Distancing as a gendered barrier: understanding women scientists’ gendered practices. Gend Soc. 2011;24:696–716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Lindeman S, Laara E, Lonnqvist J. A systematic review on gender-specific suicide mortality in medical doctors. BJ Psychiatry. 1996;168:274–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Petersen MR, Burnett CA. The suicide mortality of working physicians and dentists. Occup Med. 2008;58:25–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Smith JM, Alloy LB, Abramson LY. Cognitive vulnerability to depression, rumination, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation: multiple pathways to self-injurious thinking. Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2006;36:443–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Lee J, Graham AV. Students’ perception of medical school stress and their evaluation of a wellness elective. Med Educ. 2001;35:652–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Disclosures

The authors of this study do not have any personal or financial conflicts of interest with this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Gina Zanardelli & Wonjin Sim

  2. Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH, USA

    Nicole Borges & Brenda Roman

Authors
  1. Gina Zanardelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wonjin Sim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nicole Borges
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Brenda Roman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gina Zanardelli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zanardelli, G., Sim, W., Borges, N. et al. Well-Being in First Year Medical Students. Acad Psychiatry 39, 31–36 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0189-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0189-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation