Academic Achievement Correlated to Stress, Depression, and Sleep Deprivation in Medical Students
Abstract
Background and Objective: Academic achievement is an important dimension for studying in university, so the effect on academic achievement is an important topic in medical training. The medical students have higher depression rates and stressful than students of other paculties. The medical training causes medical students to study hard at night and resulting sleep deprivation. Aims of this study were to determine the academic achievement and its association with stress, depression and sleep deprivation.
Methods: All of the medical students from Srinakharinwirot University were selected. The design was cross-sectional study. The total subjects were 646; the response rate was 75%. Each participant was evaluated at the end of the second semester during February, 11th 2008 to March, 4th 2008. Each student was asked to answer the questionnaires including Health-Related Self-Reported (HRSR) Scale from Mental Health Department, Ministry of Public Health, Suanprung stress test. Categorical variables were analyzed using the Chi-square test or Fisher exact test. For continuous and binary response variables, we first identified significant explanatory variables through bivariate linear or logistic regressions, respectively. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Spearman’s rank correlation between academic achievement (grade) and duration of sleep, depression and level of stress showed correlation with duration of sleep and levels of stress (p < 0.05) but not correlated to depression. Sleep 6 hours and more had odds ratio of academic achievement 1.8 times to sleep less than 6 hours (p < 0.05) but depression and levels of stress were not significantly different.
Conclusion: Poor academic achievement of medical students, correlated to sleep deprivation of less than 6 hours per day and correlated to increase levels of stress.
Key words: academic achievement, stress, depression, sleep deprivation, medical students
