Zeitschrift für Psychologie und Psychotherapie
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Abstrakt

Sources of Stress and Psychosocial Correlates of Wellbeing among Medical Student’s at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)

Lash Pie *, Vanie Roth, Baily Lan

Objective: Medical training is generally perceived to be arduous. Student’s experience of challenges makes them susceptible to mental and emotional conditions that compromise wellbeing. This study examined sources of stress and the psychosocial correlates of wellbeing among medical student’s at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for the promotion of mental health and wellbeing among medical student’s as future health practitioners.

Method: A total of three hundred and six (306) medical student’s participated in this cross-sectional survey using the Ryff Wellbeing Scale (RWS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Worry and Emotionality Questionnaire (WEQ) for test anxiety, and the Sources of Stress Questionnaire (SSQ) to assess psychological wellbeing and sources of stress among the medical student’s. Descriptive analyses, including correlations, were performed to examine the associations between psychological wellbeing indices, test anxiety, and sources of stress.

Results: Findings showed that student’s with more robust psychological wellbeing and self-esteem had fewer stressors and were less anxious in examinations as evidenced by significant negative correlations. Higher and varied sources of stress compromised all indices of wellbeing such as autonomy, self-acceptance, positive relationships, sense of purpose, and personal growth. Poor dietary health was associated with higher stress. Environmental mastery and selfacceptance were significantly predictive of test anxiety, explaining approximately 19% of the variance in test anxiety.

Conclusion: This study is informative for addressing psychological needs of medical student’s at the KNUST in a context-specific fashion. Implications for innovative initiatives and supportive interventions for the promotion of mental health and greater wellness among medical student’s at KNUST are discussed.