Stress from Cadaver Dissection Linked to Learning Conditions: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Objective This study examined the relationship between students′ perceptions of cadaver dissection (CD) and some learning conditions during CD. Methods This is a cross–sectional study involving 2968 medical students and graduates exposed to CD at nine countries systematically and proportionally selected from Sub–Saharan African countries based on their ranking on the four World Bank indices of development and education: population, literacy, human capital index (HCI), and human development index (HDI). A self–administered questionnaire was used to collect relevant data on learning conditions during CD experience of the participants, using online channels, including email, Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Results About half (48.76%) of the participants perceived CD as stressful, while 51.24% thought otherwise. However, 57% of participants from institutions where a CD session lasts three hours described their experience as stressful, whereas 69.67% of participants whose institution spent one hour in a single CD session agreed that CD is not stressful. Similarly, 60.63% of participants from institutions with a student-donor ratio between 5 to 10 students per cadaver described their experience as ′not stressful′. In comparison, 57.51% of participants from institutions with a student-donor ratio of 10–20 students per donor and 53.80% of participants from institutions with over 20 students per donor described their experience as stressful. Conclusions Students from institutions with CD instructors, shorter CD sessions, and a smaller student-donor ratio are more likely to perceive CD as stress–free. Providing more support for students during CD and reducing time for CD may be an antidote to CD-related stress.