An assessment on the prevalence and correlates of psychological morbidity in 2nd-year undergraduate medical students in a medical college in Odisha

Introduction: Stress perceived by medical undergraduate students is a matter of concern. Sustained stress can lead to various psychological disorders like; withdrawal behavior, suicidal ideation and constant anxiety. Therefore it is essential that perceived stress must be resolved timely so as to avoid any untoward incidents among the medical students. Objective: To study the correlation of perceived stress and various socio-demographic variables in 2nd year undergraduate medical students. Materials and Methods: A cross–sectional study was carried out in 2nd year undergraduate medical students in a medical college, and hospital in Odisha. A total of 107 students participated in the study. The SRQ-20, questionnaire of WHO was used to collect data on stress. Written informed consent was obtained from all the participating students, after ensuring them of the confidentiality, and anonymity of the study. Results: Analysis showed 40.19% of students had stress, the gender distribution of stress being 25.23% for females and 14.96% for males. The stress level as per residence was found in day- scholars to be 52.62% as compared to hostilities to be 37.49%; and students from joint family to be 49.99% as compared to students from Nuclear family as 37.62%. A total of 43.82% of students who are unable to cope with vastness of MBBS course, were stressed compared to 56.15% of students who were not stressed, despite being unable to cope with MBBS syllabus. Conclusion: The fact that a substantial proportion of students are stressed, timely intervention, to prevent any untoward incidents among the students must be carried out.