Positive and Negative Affect, Anxiety, and Academic Achievement among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia

Several studies have proven that an individual’s psychological well-being is an essential element of his or her health. Stress and anxiety both play roles in the overall functioning of the individual. They have been shown to have powerful influence on students and their overall academic achievement and performance in their courses. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the effects of anxiety on the academic performance of medical students. The study participants were 185 male medical students in the faculty of medicine at Al Baha University, Saudi Arabia, and in age range from 19 to 25 years (M = 21.6 ± 1.7 years). To investigate students’ experiences of positive and negative affect and also their anxiety levels, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS) were administered to medical students and correlation of the PANAS and TMAS measures with Grade Point Average (GPA) was performed. The present study findings revealed that the association of positive affect (p = 0.016) of PANAS is significantly and strongly related to GPA in Saudi medical students, whereas negative affect and the TMAS were not, suggesting that the positive affect component of PANAS enhances the grade performance. To confirm and establish these results, future studies including both males and females with various economic backgrounds are recommended.