Medical Students' Academic Distress, Coping, and Achievement Strategies During the Preclinical Years

Background: Medical students' distress during medical education has attracted increasing attention. It is unclear what kind of coping strategies are most widely used and most adaptive in the different phases of the medical education and career. Purposes: Medical students' (N = 110) academic distress, coping, and achievement strategies were explored during their 2.5-year preclinical training. Methods: The students responded to inquiries at 3 points in time. Both questionnaires and individual interviews were used. Results: The time and coping strategies were associated with the students' achievement strategies and stress symptoms. There was a significant increase of symptoms during the first 2 study years. Although a majority of the students seemed to cope well with the stress, a subgroup with dysfunctional and inadequate strategies was identified to be at risk for negative development. Conclusions: More attention should be given to medical students' distress and coping efforts during the first study years. Preventive measures by medical educators are discussed.