The Impact of Isolation in Medical Students as a Function of “Percentage at Risk” for Adverse Psychological Outcomes
Abstract
Medical students are more susceptible to experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, and subsequent burnout relative to their peers in other professional fields. The Medical Student Well-Being Index (MSWBI) is a standardized and validated survey that represents the percentage of medical students “at risk” for adverse psychological outcomes, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. At Quillen College of Medicine (QCOM), the MSWBI data has been collected annually in an attempt to better understand the factors that contribute to and mitigate medical student burnout. Through the use of the Medical Student Well-Being Index (MSWBI), we compared the changes in the percentage “at risk for adverse psychological outcomes” of first and second-year medical student responses at Quillen College of Medicine over several years. MSWBI is composed of a seven-item survey. Student responses were summed to total scores then categorized as “at risk” or not “at risk”. Weighted risk was calculated from questions with high sensitivity and specificity for predicting stress, depression, and physical and psychological quality of life. For significance, we will use a two-sided Chi-square Fisher’s exact test analysis to compare pre-clinical virtual vs in-person students “at risk” and regression analysis to compare change for different preclinical class years. The results have demonstrated a decrease in “at risk” preclinical students when the curriculum switched to in-person classes that used team-based learning. There was also a greater decrease in weighted risk from first to second year for classes that were in person compared to those with online and mixed classes. Collected data points to a protective effect of in-class team-based learning on percent of students at risk for adverse psychological outcomes, likely by giving more opportunities to build a better support system with other classmates and decrease isolation, a significant factor in burnout.
Start Time
16-4-2025 1:30 PM
End Time
16-4-2025 4:00 PM
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Category
Health
Student Type
Clinical Doctoral Student (e.g., medical student, pharmacy student)
Faculty Mentor
Richard Wallace
Faculty Department
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
The Impact of Isolation in Medical Students as a Function of “Percentage at Risk” for Adverse Psychological Outcomes
Medical students are more susceptible to experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, and subsequent burnout relative to their peers in other professional fields. The Medical Student Well-Being Index (MSWBI) is a standardized and validated survey that represents the percentage of medical students “at risk” for adverse psychological outcomes, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. At Quillen College of Medicine (QCOM), the MSWBI data has been collected annually in an attempt to better understand the factors that contribute to and mitigate medical student burnout. Through the use of the Medical Student Well-Being Index (MSWBI), we compared the changes in the percentage “at risk for adverse psychological outcomes” of first and second-year medical student responses at Quillen College of Medicine over several years. MSWBI is composed of a seven-item survey. Student responses were summed to total scores then categorized as “at risk” or not “at risk”. Weighted risk was calculated from questions with high sensitivity and specificity for predicting stress, depression, and physical and psychological quality of life. For significance, we will use a two-sided Chi-square Fisher’s exact test analysis to compare pre-clinical virtual vs in-person students “at risk” and regression analysis to compare change for different preclinical class years. The results have demonstrated a decrease in “at risk” preclinical students when the curriculum switched to in-person classes that used team-based learning. There was also a greater decrease in weighted risk from first to second year for classes that were in person compared to those with online and mixed classes. Collected data points to a protective effect of in-class team-based learning on percent of students at risk for adverse psychological outcomes, likely by giving more opportunities to build a better support system with other classmates and decrease isolation, a significant factor in burnout.