Stress Levels and Coping Strategies in Medical Students and its Association with Salivary IL-6 Levels

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2024.1955

Keywords:

stress, coping strategies, medical students, IL6 levels, Medical Students, Stress Management, Coping Mechanisms, Salivary IL-6, Physiological Stress Response, Psychological Well-being, BriefCOPE Questionnaire, Academic Stress, Pro-inflammatory Markers, Stress Measurement

Abstract

Background: Medical students face ongoing stress during their training but have developed coping mechanisms. Stress alters various physiological processes, including pro-inflammatory markers like Interleukin-6(IL-6). The present study was conducted to assess stress levels and coping strategies in medical students and their association with salivary IL-6 levels.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted after obtaining institutional ethical clearance. A total of 76 consenting undergraduate medical students answered the Cohen’s perceived stress scale and BriefCOPE questionnaire. Unstimulated saliva was used to assess salivary IL-6 levels using a Diaclone human IL-6 ELISA kit and the data obtained was analyzed.

Results: Out of the 76 participants, 59(77.6%) were female and 17(22.4%) were male. Mild stress was reported by 9 students, moderate by 53, and severe stress by 14 students. Based on Kruskal-Wallis p test, most students used approach coping for stress of all levels. This active strategy involves problem-solving and future planning. Approach coping has shown better responses to adversity, physical health, and emotional responsiveness. Mild and moderate stressed students used acceptance, positive-refrain, and planning, while severe stressed students used planning, self-distraction, and self-blame. Despite the perceived stress, there were no significant differences in the salivary IL-6 levels among the three categories.

Conclusion: ‘Approach’ coping was commonly used and linked to positive outcomes. Despite this, a number of students have reported to experience stress. Therefore, more effective strategies are needed to handle stress and demands of the profession effectively. Further research with larger samples is recommended to explore salivary IL-6 levels’ relation to stress.

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References

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The image shows a bar graph comparing median salivary IL-6 levels across three perceived stress categories: mild, moderate, and severe. The median levels increase slightly with stress, from 4.1 pg/mL in mild stress, to 4.4 pg/mL in moderate, and 4.7 pg/mL in severe stress. Each bar includes an interquartile range (IQR), indicating data variability, with overlaps between categories, suggesting that the increase in IL-6 is not consistent across different stress levels.

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Published

2023-12-04 — Updated on 2024-09-30

How to Cite

Karanth, M., Shenoy Basti, A. R., N, C., & Reberio, C. (2024). Stress Levels and Coping Strategies in Medical Students and its Association with Salivary IL-6 Levels. International Journal of Medical Students, 12(3), 246–251. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2024.1955

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Vol. 12 No. 3 (2024)

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Copyright (c) 2023 Monica Karanth, Anahita Shenoy Basti, Chandralekha N, Cleeta Reberio

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