STRESS AND VULNERABILITY IN MEDICAL-STUDENTS

One hundred and forty Hong Kong Chinese students were surveyed early i n the second year of their medical education (year 2), and compared wi th 138 students surveyed prior to beginning their first year of medica l school and with 74 non-medical university students in their second y ear. In year 2 students, distress as reflected in their scores on anxi ety and depression self-report scales was high, and these students rep orted greater utilization of health professional services as compared with the other two groups. In year 2 students, concerns related to the medical school environment and curriculum, and whether one has the en durance and ability to be successful were significant correlates with depression and anxiety. Loss of opportunity to maintain social and rec reational sources of gratification correlated with anxiety. There was no difference between the sexes with regard to the development of anxi ety and depression symptoms. Academically less successful students rep orted somewhat higher levels of depressive ideation and symptomatology . Trait anxiety correlated with the development of distress, while opt imism protected against the development of distress. Active coping sty les and positive reinterpretation as a coping strategy correlated nega tively with distress, while wishful thinking correlated positively wit h distress. These findings emphasize the need for greater attention to the psychological well-being of doctors-in-training, in Hong Kong as in the Western world. These findings should be further explored in lon gitudinal studies, and may be helpful in designing intervention and su pport programmes for vulnerable students.