Abstract

Effect of stress on exam going first year medical students of Tirunelveli

Everybody experience anxiety from time to time. Examinations are a part of academic curriculum. These are often tiresome and extremely stressful for students at any level of education. Stressful feelings can alter the ability to think during examinations. Aims & Objectives:1.To determine the prevalence of anxiety among first year medical students. 2. To find out sex predominance in anxiety among medical students. 3. To determine the association between anxiety and examinations among medical students. 4. To grade the anxiety level among them. A Cross sectional study was carried out among 150 first year medical students of Tirunelveli medical college who had spent more than 6 months in college. The students were assessed during the period with and without examinations. Anthropometric variables of students such as weight, height and BMI were assessed. Prevalence of anxiety was assessed using a structured validated questionnaire. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAM-A) with a cut off score for various levels of anxiety was used. The students were subjected to the questionnaire both prior to and during the examination. All 150 students completed the questionnaire. The mean age of students was 18 years. Data were analyzed using paired “t” test A high prevalence of anxiety(p<0.001) among medical students was found. Female students were found to be more prone to anxiety than male students and there was significant association between the prevalence of anxiety and examination period. This study finds a significant number of students with high anxiety scores indicating emotional stress which results in poor academic performance.

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