A structural model of stress, motivation, and academic performance in medical students.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was 1) to identify factors that may influence academic stress in medical students and 2) to investigate the causal relationships among these variables with path analysis.


METHODS
One hundred sixty medical students participated in the present study. Psychological parameters were assessed with the Medical Stress Scale, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Academic Motivation Scale. Linear regression and path analysis were used to examine the relationships among variables.


RESULTS
Significant correlations were noted between several factors and Medical Stress scores. Specifically, Hamilton Depression Scale scores (β=0.26, p=0.03) and amotivation (β=0.20, p=0.01) and extrinsically identified regulation (β=0.27, p<0.01) response categories on the Academic Motivation Scale had independent and significant influences on Medical Stress Scale scores. A path analysis model indicated that stress, motivation, and academic performance formed a triangular feedback loop. Moreover, depression was associated with both stress and motivation, and personality was associated with motivation.


CONCLUSIONS
The triangular feedback-loop structure in the present study indicated that actions that promote motivation benefit from interventions against stress and depression. Moreover, stress management increases motivation in students. Therefore, strategies designed to reduce academic pressures in medical students should consider these factors. Additional studies should focus on the relationship between motivation and depression.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Jangho
J
Park
Seockhoon
S
Chung
Hoyoung
H
An
Seungjin
S
Park
Chul
C
Lee
Seong Yoon
SY
Kim
Jae-Dam
JD
Lee
Ki-Soo
KS
Kim