Factors associated with stress among medical students

Objective: to determine the probable factors responsible for stress among undergraduate medical students. methods: the qualitative descriptive study was conducted at a public-sector medical college in islamabad,pakistan,from january to april 2014. self-administered open-ended questionnaires were used to collect data from first year medical students in order to study the factors associated with the new environment. results: there were 115 students in the study with a mean age of 19±6.76 years. overall,35(30.4%) students had mild to moderate physical problems,20(17.4%) had severe physical problems and 60(52.2%) did not have any physical problem. average stress score was 19.6±6.76. major elements responsible for stress identified were environmental factors,new college environment,student abuse,tough study routines and personal factors. conclusion: majority of undergraduate students experienced stress due to both academic and emotional factors. © 2015,pakistan medical association. all rights reserved.