Medical education is demanding and stressful, leading to psychological distress among students. Discipline is a pivotal trait for excelling in medical school. This study analyzes the relationship between stress, discipline and academic performance in first-semester medical students.
This longitudinal study applied the Perceived Medical School Stress (PMSS) and the Academic Self Discipline (ASD) scales to medical students before their first and second midterm examinations in the Embryology subject. Scores and pass/fail percentages were recorded for analysis. Demographic data were recuperated as well. The tested hypothesis was that discipline correlates positively with academic performance, while negatively with stress.
A notable decrease in stress during the second examination was noted in comparison to the first. Conversely, discipline increased slightly. Stress correlated negatively with discipline only during the first examination, but not during the second, while discipline correlated positively with academic performance during the second examination but not during the first. Logistic regression analysis identified that students whose place of origin was out of the state, completed high school in three years, and/or had higher grade point average during high school had higher probabilities of passing the second examination.
These results suggest that stress and discipline change as the semester progresses, and that these demographic factors play an important role in academic performance. This study highlights the importance of self-discipline as well as demographic factors for excelling in medical school. Further research, however, in other contexts are warranted to replicate these results.
