Effect of parental relationships on stress levels of students in a medical college

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple studies have been conducted on the theme of stress faced by medical students due to the load of medical education and lack of adequate stress coping skills which may affect the students variedly. Objective: To critically assess stress levels in medical students of Shifa College of Medicine (a private medical college in Islamabad, Pakistan) and the quality of relationship between students and parents, thereby studying a relationship between the two. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the students of Shifa College of Medicine. A sample size of 315 students filled a pretested student stress questionnaire, which was made using the student life stress inventory survey consisting of 34 questions. Data was then analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Increased levels of stress were found to be common among medical students with a prevalence of 53.3% among our study group. A total of 65.7% students face stress due to the increased expectations of their parents. There was a positive correlation (p<0.05) between stress faced by medical students and their relationship with parents. Academics, lack of recreational time and high self-expectations were also major contributors to student stress. Conclusion: It can be concluded that there is a positive relationship between parental involvement and medical student stress at Shifa College of Medicine, which manifested in the form of excessively high parental aspirations, leading to adverse effects on the academic, social and personal life of a medical student.