From stress to strategies: developing digital resilience among medical students in Pakistan – a qualitative case study

The integration of social media into medical education offers significant opportunities for learning but also introduces distinct challenges for students. This study aimed to explore the strategies employed by undergraduate medical students at a private medical college in Pakistan to develop digital resilience while using social media platforms for educational purposes. A qualitative case study design utilizing individual semi-structured interviews was conducted from September 2024 to February 2025, after obtaining ethical approval and written informed consent. Participants included 25 undergraduate medical students from all five years of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program at ABWA Medical College, a private medical institution in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed, followed by participant verification of transcripts (member checking) to confirm the accuracy of the recorded accounts. Two researchers independently generated initial codes, followed by collaborative theme development, to identify strategies used by medical students to develop digital resilience. The findings revealed distinct cross-sectional patterns in the strategies reported by students from different academic years. First-year students emphasized supplementary use of YouTube and peer resource sharing, while second-year students focused on time and task management. Third- and fourth-year students described device management, selective curation, and strategic integration of digital resources, whereas final-year students emphasized boundary setting, non-digital learning, and well-being practices. These differences represent comparisons between academic-year groups at one point in time and should not be interpreted as developmental progression within individual students. The cross-year patterns informed the proposed Digital Resilience (DR)-Compass exploratory conceptual model. Medical students from different academic-year groups described varied approaches to digital resilience, ranging from basic adaptation and peer-supported learning to self-regulation, selective engagement, boundary setting, and well-being practices. Because the study was cross-sectional, these differences do not establish developmental progression over time. The proposed DR-Compass organizes the case-derived findings as an exploratory conceptual model of personal capacities, behavioral strategies, and available support rather than a validated developmental pathway. Larger multicentre and longitudinal studies are required to examine its transferability, structure, and validity.