Resilience, Grit, and Stress in Medical Students

Overview

The incidence of burnout and mental ill-health begins very early in medical school and continues to be high throughout training. Medical students are under high amounts of stress, which often becomes chronic, and can lead to both physical and psychological issues as a student, resident, and physician. Chronic stress and burnout in medical students are not a new phenomenon, but recent research has highlighted the worsening mental health of medical students, with as high as three-quarters of students reporting mental ill-health. It is vital that ways are found to reduce burnout and assist in improving the mental health of medical students. This quasi-experimental study is an ongoing study which is enrolling cohorts of students as they enter medical school.

The investigators will assess the effects of a year-long small process group intervention, led by a psychiatrist, which aims to improve self-awareness, mindfulness, and resilience in first and second-year medical students. Students self-select into the process group, and a similar number are randomly recruited as controls from the rest of the preclinical student body. The psychiatrist is blinded to student participation in the study. Students in the process and control groups will be surveyed with the Perceived Stress Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Grit Scale in September 2023, and again after nine months and 25 sessions, in May 2024, after the academic year. Statistical analysis will be done with R Studio. Bandura's theory of self-efficacy was used to conceptualize the study. Recruitment is done by email, as is data collection. The intervention includes guided exploration of the psychodynamic process, group dynamic theory, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, boundaries, and empathy.