Imola Sándor

Career motivation and burnout among medical students in Hungary - could altruism be a protection factor?

BackgroundBurnout is a major issue among medical students. Its general characteristics are loss of interest in study and lack of motivation. A study of the phenomenon must extend beyond the university environment and personality factors to consider whether career choice has a role in the occurrence of burnout.MethodsQuantitative, national survey (n = 733) among medical students, using a 12-item career motivation list compiled from published research results and a pilot study. We measured burnout by the validated Hungarian version of MBI-SS.ResultsThe most significant career choice factor was altruistic motivation, followed by extrinsic motivations: gaining a degree, finding a job, accessing career opportunities. Lack of altruism was found to be a major risk factor, in addition to the traditional risk factors, for cynicism and reduced academic efficacy. Our study confirmed the influence of gender differences on both career choice motivations and burnout.ConclusionThe structure of career motivation is a major issue in the transformation of the medical profession. Since altruism is a prominent motivation for many women studying medicine, their entry into the profession in increasing numbers may reinforce its traditional character and act against the present trend of deprofessionalization.

The effects of dissection-room experiences and related coping strategies among Hungarian medical students.

BackgroundStudents get their first experiences of dissecting human cadavers in the practical classes of anatomy and pathology courses, core components of medical education. These experiences form an important part of the process of becoming a doctor, but bring with them a special set of problems.MethodsQuantitative, national survey (n = 733) among medical students, measured reactions to dissection experiences and used a new measuring instrument to determine the possible factors of coping.ResultsFifty per cent of students stated that the dissection experience does not affect them. Negative effects were significantly more frequently reported by women and students in clinical training (years 3,4,5,6). The predominant factor in the various coping strategies for dissection practicals is cognitive coping (rationalisation, intellectualisation). Physical and emotional coping strategies followed, with similar mean scores. Marked gender differences also showed up in the application of coping strategies: there was a clear dominance of emotional-based coping among women. Among female students, there was a characteristic decrease in the physical repulsion factor in reactions to dissection in the later stages of study.ConclusionsThe experience of dissection had an emotional impact on about half of the students. In general, students considered these experiences to be an important part of becoming a doctor. Our study found that students chiefly employed cognitive coping strategies to deal with their experiences.Dissection-room sessions are important for learning emotional as well as technical skills. Successful coping is achieved not by repressing emotions but by accepting and understanding the negative emotions caused by the experience and developing effective strategies to deal with them.Medical training could make better use of the learning potential of these experiences.

Medical students of Hungary. A changing profession or feminisation

INTRODUCTION Career motivations, professional socialization, as well as somatic and mental health of medical students have received a growing interest. AIM To explore gender-related differences among medical students in the fields of career motivations, somatic and mental health, and stress factors. METHOD Nationwide, cross-sectional, quantitative survey on a sample of medical students (n = 731). RESULTS Female medical students choose their profession earlier, and their career motivations are more altruistic than their male colleagues. The lack of the role model is more typical for females. Female students have more psychosomatic disorders, and complain about more stress factors than males. Workload, sleeping disorders and emotional exhaustion are significantly higher among female medical students. CONCLUSIONS The results show that health protection of female medical students may have a key role in the prevention of subsequent morbidity of female physicians in Hungary.

The European Initiative ProYouth for the Promotion of Mental Health and the Prevention of Eating Disorders* Screening Results in Hungary

OBJECTIVE The ProYouth programme focuses on the promotion of mental health and the prevention of eating disorders (EDs) among young people. The aim of our study was to explore whether the programme can address individuals who are at risk for developing 2EDs. METHOD This study is designed as an online cross-sectional survey (n = 664, 12.2% men, 87.8% women, mean age: 24.9 years, SD = 5.4 years, range: 18-40 years). Measures included demographic data, self-reported weight and height, the Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety, Short Evaluation of Eating Disorders, Weight Concerns Scale and previous/current treatment for EDs. RESULTS In terms of severity of EDs, 22.9% (n = 152) of the screened participants were symptom free, 48.8% (n = 324) had considerable concerns about their weight, 11.1% (n = 74) were slightly impaired, 15.1% (n = 100) had severe impairment and 2.1% (n = 14) of participants are currently under treatment for EDs. In total, 56.3% of users (n = 374) registered in the programme. According to our results, those who had considerable concerns about their weight and individuals who were severely impaired registered with a greater odds to the programme than those who were symptom free [odds ratio (OR) = 1.64, p = .021 and OR = 1.90, p = .023, respectively]. Furthermore, those who previously received treatment for their ED registered to the programme with greater odds than those who did not (OR = 2.40, p = .017). CONCLUSION ProYouth successfully addressed those who have elevated concerns about their weight and who also registered with greater odds to the programme than those who were symptom free regarding EDs. The screening results show that there is a greater need for specialized care targeting EDs in Hungary than what is currently available.