Are Peer Caring Behaviors Associated with Stress Level among Undergraduate Medical Students? a Cross-sectional Study in Malaysia

Abstract

Medical school is a stressful environment to cope in without peers’ supports. The ability to show care for others is crucial among those in the healthcare profession. While stress motivates students in their journey of pursuing a medical degree, it could negatively impact their mental wellbeing. We aimed to (1) assess the peer caring behaviour among undergraduate medical students, (2) find out the factors associated with it and (3) determine the relationship between the peer caring behaviour and stress level among undergraduate students. A cross sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate medical students in private medical university in Malaysia from February 2022 to April 2022. An online questionnaire was distributed and a total of 107 students participated. Independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and simple linear regression were calculated. Our study shows a positive peer caring behaviour (mean=80.43) among medical students. Among the respondents, 72% had moderate stress level while 22.4% had high stress and only 5.6% had low stress level. There were no statistically significant association between the demographic factors and peer caring behaviour. Though it is not statistically significant association depicted between peer caring behaviors and stress, social and academic support received from peers may have been effective in reducing the stress level throughout the education.