"Medical Student Syndrome"-A Myth or a Real Disease Entity? Cross-Sectional Study of Medical Students of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland

Katarzyna Szczurek, Natalia Furgał, Dawid Szczepanek, Rashid Zaman, Krzysztof Krysta, Marek Krzystanek, Katarzyna Szczurek, Natalia Furgał, Dawid Szczepanek, Rashid Zaman, Krzysztof Krysta, Marek Krzystanek

Abstract

The description of Medical Student Syndrome is based on the assumption that inexperienced medical students are prone to develop a pathological fear of medical conditions they are taught about. The aim of this study is to examine the sample of students (medical and non-medical) in order to assess and compare their level of hypochondriacal attitudes and health-related anxiety. We also examined other factors which might have had an influence on hypochondria and nosophobia attitudes among students. Methods: The study was conducted in two groups of students: 313 medical students at the Medical University of Silesia and 293 students at non-medical universities in Katowice, Poland. The study used the medical student syndrome self-explanatory questionnaire constructed for the study, taking into account the specificity of the group and the research problem. The research questionnaire was completed in an online survey by 606 students. Results: The results of the study showed that medical students obtained the same scores on a nosophobic scale as the non-medical students (p = 0.5). The analysis of hypochondriacal behavior showed significantly higher results in the non-medical student group (p = 0.02). In the entire study group, females and participants with mental disorders obtained higher scores in relation to nosophobia. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were more common in the group of medical students. Conclusions: Medical studies are not a risk factor for the occurrence of health anxiety and hypochondrial attitudes. Such factors are female gender and having a mental illness.

Keywords: hypochondria symptoms; medical students; nosophobia symptoms.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of responses of the surveyed students of non-medical (a) and medical (b) faculties to the question about the planned visit to a psychiatrist in connection with the anxiety experienced. (a) Number of observations n = 293. (b) Number of observations n = 313.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of responses of the surveyed medical students to the question about paying more attention to symptoms of diseases after completing clinical classes on a given disease entity. n = 313.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of responses of the surveyed students of non-medical (a) and medical (b) faculties to question the need to hide their problems due to their field of study. (a) Number of observations n = 293. (b) Number of observations n = 313.

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