Personal Factors of Adapting to Academic Environment in First-Year Medical Students

Abstract

The article features personality determinants of adaptation in first-year medical students. The study involved R. Cattell’s questionnaire of personality qualities and S. R. Panteleev’s test of self-attitude components. The factor analysis revealed six personality factors that covered 74.7 % of the primary characteristics included in the statistical procedure. The participants had different adaptation levels: high, medium, and low. Based on the zones of positive or negative factor values, the identified determinants were divided into two groups. The group of successful adaptation factors included emotional maturity, positive attitude to oneself and to life, readiness to change, orientation towards social approval, social activity and importance of communication, intelligence and mental abilities. The factors of adaptation disorders included conservative attitudes and caution with a prominent need for sympathy from others, idealistic worldview, and internal illusions. The emotional and volitional qualities proved to be the most important factor of professional self, while self-attitude components appeared to be underrepresented, and intellectual qualities had ambiguous impact on the process of adaptation. The obtained data reflected both general scientific ideas about the phenomenon of adaptation, i.e. the role of emotions at the initial stage of university education. The article also describes the personality development of students at this stage of ontogenesis, e.g. incomplete self-attitude formation, etc. The results can be used in medical universities as a part of psychological support in order to prevent personality adaptation disorders in first-year students.

Keywords

• adaptation to academic environment
• personality
• personality qualities
• self-attitude