Physiological Characteristics of Maladaptation of Medical Students in Modern Conditions

Comprehensive psychodiagnostic and physiological study included 603 students of Kharkiv National Medical University, of both sexes, aged 17 - 24 years old. According to the results of the evaluation of students adaptation to educational activities 4.5% of the surveyed students had a high level of maladaptation, 13.3% - significant, 36.2% - moderate and 20.2% - a low level of maladaptation; and about 25.8% - had not signs of maladaptation. Students with high, significant and moderate levels of maladaptation contained the 1st group of study, students with low or without signs of maladaptation contained the 2nd group. According to the results of psychodiagnostic research 15.8% students of the first group didn't have clinical signs of anxiety, 16.3% of students had subclinical manifestations, compared with 3.5% and 8.2% of students of the 2nd group respectively. Clinical manifestations of depression were typical for 5.4% of the 1st group students and for 2.1% students of the second group; subclinical manifestations of depression were featured in 20.1% and 9.5% of students respectively. Students of the 1st group had higher average levels of asthenia expression (54,12 ± 1,98, p <0,05), mental stress on a scale (48,38 ± 1,79, p <0,05) and hypothymia (50,30 ± 1,66, p <0,05) compared to the second group students who had minimal results that amounted 41,97 ± 1,73, 38,24 ± 1,22 and 44,51 ± 1,96 (p <0,05) points. The results of the psychophysiological research have shown that students from the 1st group demonstrated the worst scores performing the majority of physiological techniques compared with adapted students. Such tendency manifested, in particular, in a lesser total three-minute performance proofreading test. Under the influence of physical exercises the significant deterioration of all attention criteria of the 1st group students was noticed compared to significant improvements in tests in the second group. Under the influence of physical activity the slight increase in sensorimotor reaction time in students of the 1st group was noticed and its decrease in the second group. In this study the main manifestations of maladaptation in students of medical university were systematized: Mental maladaptation, which manifests in deterioration of the mental health, increased asthenia, anxious and depressive disorders, activity decreasing, defects of interpersonal relationships, increased interpersonal conflict. Psychophysiologycal maladaptation manifests reduction of mental ability to work, memory impairment, reduced attention efficiency, increased fatigability, decreased speed of information processing, longer sensorimotor response period and in low rates of coordination especially under the influence of physical activity.