Prevalence and factors associated with susceptibility to stress-related illnesses among medical students in a Nigerian Medical School

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with susceptibility to stress-related illnesses among medical students in a Nigerian medical school. Methods: A total of 379 medical students were enrolled by simple random sampling. A selfadministered ‘International Stress Management Association’(ISMA) STRESS questionnaire was used to evaluate susceptibility to stress-related illnessesamong the subjects. Statistical analysis was done with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPPS) version 19 (Chicago IL). Results: Among the medical students studied, 21.1% (80/379) are susceptible to stress-related illnesses and could be prone to many traits or characteristics that are creating un-healthy behaviours. Females 15.7% (26/379) are more susceptible to stress related illness when compared to males 25.4% (54/379) and it is statistically significant (p<0.05).Those from upper class are more susceptible to stress related illness when compared to other classes, though this is not statistically significant. (p= 0.45). Conclusions: A relatively high number of medical students are susceptible to stress-related illnesses with a female predominance.

Keywords

• susceptibility; stress; medical student; nigeria; mental health; curriculum