State Anxiety Response to Examination Stress in Medical Students-Its Relation to their Adjustment Pattern

Medical students in their first year face extreme stress due to adjustment problems related to professional course environment and its curricular pattern. This added with the stress of facing an academic examination increases the stress response and its associated anxiety with a negative impact on their performance. However, this perceived anxiety depends on the student's coping abilities in such situations.

This study was done to observe the pattern of adjustment/coping & anxiety response to academic evaluation related situations in its natural form and the relation between the two among first year medical students.

58 first year medical students were included in the study. Their adjustment pattern and state anxiety were assessed by Bell's Adjustment Inventory (BAI) and state-Trait Anxiety Inventory (sTAI) respectively. Anxiety levels were measured during four days related to their regular internal assessment examination (before and after exam situations) and compared with their adjustment profile. Results were expressed in numbers and percentages. student-t test was used to calculate significant differences of means between good and poor adjusters.

The good adjusters had better social and emotional adjustments and had significantly lower state anxiety (P < 0.05) in all situations. Poor adjusters had sustained high anxiety in all the three post exam situations (53%, 59% & 56% respectively).

This study suggests that emotional and social adjustments of a student determine their overall adjustment. Anxiety levels are highest just before facing exam and inversely related to adjustment pattern. Poor adjusters show prolonged anxiety response to an academic stressor and also maintain higher basal anxiety levels.