EMBARKING UPON A MEDICAL CAREER - PSYCHOLOGICAL MORBIDITY IN FIRST YEAR MEDICAL-STUDENTS

This study was undertaken to measure the prevalence of psychological m orbidity, and the nature and source of stress, in first year medical s tudents. Two hundred and four first year medical students at a univers ity in the north of England were sent a postal, self-report questionna ire. They were asked to complete the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ ), the Stress Incident Record and to give details of their alcohol con sumption. A total of 172 students (84.3%) replied. Thirty-six per cent of the students scored above the threshold of the GHQ, indicating pro bable psychological disturbance. There was no difference between men a nd women. Approximately half of the students described a stressful inc ident, the majority of which were related to medical training rather t han to personal problems. Male students reported drinking significantl y more alcohol than female students, but there was no relationship bet ween levels of alcohol consumption and either psychological disturbanc e or reporting of stress. The findings suggest that even at the prelim inary stages of medical training, many students find aspects of the me dical course very stressful. The psychological well-being of medical s tudents needs to be more carefully addressed, and closer attention pai d to the styles of medical teaching that may provoke avoidable distres s.