title: The effects of attribution tendencies, academic stress, and coping efficacy on academic adjustment of medical students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the relationship among types of attribution tendencies, academic stress, coping efficacy, and academic adjustment in medical students and identified the means by which the academic adjustment of medical students can improve.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred forty-two subjects from 2 medical schools in Korea were analyzed; 202 were male, 206 were female, and 34 did not identify their gender. We surveyed their academic adjustment, attribution tendencies, academic stress, and coping efficacy. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, and stepwise multiple regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The male group scored higher on academic adjustment, internal attribution tendency, and coping efficacy but lower on academic stress than the female group. Coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency affected the academic adjustment positively while academic stress influenced it negatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study indicates that students with higher scores on coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency and who have lower scores on academic stress tend to adjust better academically in medical school. Therefore, these findings may be helpful for medical schools in designing effective academic adjustment programs to improve coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency and reduce academic stress. Further, these findings have important implications for planning learning consultation programs, especially in Year 1.
authors: Center for Teaching and Learning, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea.
authors: So-Joung
authors: SJ
authors: Yune
authors: Department of Medical Education, Gachon University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
authors: Kwi Hwa
authors: KH
authors: Park
authors: Department of Medical Education, Gachon University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
authors: Wook-Jin
authors: WJ
authors: Chung
authors: Department of Medical Education, Pusan National University Medical School, Busan, Korea.
authors: Sang-Yeoup
authors: SY
authors: Lee
keywords: Academic adjustment; Academic stress; Attribution tendencies; Coping efficacy; Medical student