Medical Student Syndrome”—A Myth or a Real Disease Entity? Cross-Sectional Study of Medical Students of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15513733 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katarzyna Szczurek (0009-0001-7104-4436, Medical University of Silesia), Natalia Furgał (0000-0001-9040-4946, Medical University of Silesia), Dawid Szczepanek (0009-0008-8704-8002, Medical University of Silesia), Rashid Zaman (0000-0003-3111-9437, University of Cambridge), K Krysta (0000-0002-5984-3358, Medical University of Silesia, corresponding author), Marek Krzystanek (0000-0002-1665-7344, Medical University of Silesia) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 18 |
| Pages | 9884-9884 |
| Publication date | 2021-09-19 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph18189884 |
| PMID | 34574807 |
| OpenAlex | W3201266310 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 34 |
The description of Medical Student Syndrome is based on the assumption that inexperienced medical students are prone to develop a pathological fear of medical conditions they are taught about. The aim of this study is to examine the sample of students (medical and non-medical) in order to assess and compare their level of hypochondriacal attitudes and health-related anxiety. We also examined other factors which might have had an influence on hypochondria and nosophobia attitudes among students. Methods: The study was conducted in two groups of students: 313 medical students at the Medical University of Silesia and 293 students at non-medical universities in Katowice, Poland. The study used the medical student syndrome self-explanatory questionnaire constructed for the study, taking into account the specificity of the group and the research problem. The research questionnaire was completed in an online survey by 606 students. Results: The results of the study showed that medical students obtained the same scores on a nosophobic scale as the non-medical students ( p = 0.5). The analysis of hypochondriacal behavior showed significantly higher results in the non-medical student group ( p = 0.02). In the entire study group, females and participants with mental disorders obtained higher scores in relation to nosophobia. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were more common in the group of medical students. Conclusions: Medical studies are not a risk factor for the occurrence of health anxiety and hypochondrial attitudes. Such factors are female gender and having a mental illness
Anxiety · Cross-sectional study · Depression (economics · Disease · Family medicine · Medical psychology · MEDLINE · Mental health · Psychiatry · Clinical Psychology · Empathy and Medical Education · Medicine · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
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| Citations per year | 0.75 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2025 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |