Publication:

Unseen struggles in the white coat: predictors of stress among postgraduate medical students in India

Background Postgraduate medical training is highly demanding and often accompanied by psychosocial, academic, and workplace stressors. Understanding the predictors of stress in this group is essential to safeguard both trainee well-being and patient care. Objective was to assess the prevalence of perceived stress and its associated risk factors among postgraduate medical students in Lucknow, India.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2019 to March 2020 among 205 postgraduate students (MD/MS) selected using multistage random sampling from government and private medical colleges. Perceived Stress was measured using the perceived stress scale-10 (PSS-10). Associated factors were assessed through structured questionnaires. Logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of stress.

Results Overall, 91.2% of postgraduate students reported high perceived stress. Female students had significantly higher odds of stress (AOR 14.5). Residing in hostels (AOR 8.0), consuming alcohol (AOR 55.0), sleeping <8 hours/day (AOR 0.09), and perceiving the course curriculum as exhaustive (AOR 0.06) were significant predictors. Key stressors included excessive duty hours, lack of leisure time, academic pressure, harassment by faculty, and poor work environment.

Conclusions Stress is alarmingly prevalent among postgraduate medical students in India, with female gender, hostel residence, alcohol consumption, inadequate sleep, and academic overload emerging as major predictors. Regular stress screening, enforcement of duty-hour limits, provision of mental health support, and promotion of positive coping strategies are urgently needed to protect trainee well-being and ensure safe medical practice.