Chief Resident RowanSOM Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Background and Hypothesis: Medical school is considered a very stressful and difficult time in someone’s life. Many medical students are not equipped with the appropriate coping skills to address these various challenges. As such, this study was designed to assess if higher reported levels of spirituality showed an inverse relationship with perceived anxiety in medical school.
Methods: To assess this relationship two scales were used: the DUREL (Duke University Religion Index), which measures levels of spirituality; and the GHQ 12, an empirically validated assessment used to evaluate status of mental health symptoms. An anonymous survey was developed to include demographic questions as well as the two scales. At the conclusion of the study, the responses were evaluated statistically to see if a higher level of self-reported spirituality correlates with a lower level of psychological stress in medical students at RowanSOM, an osteopathic medical school in Southern New Jersey. Those excluded were any students under age 18.
Results: Sixty-two total responses were received and 54 responses were kept in the analysis. Although the DUREL and GHQ 12 total scores of the 54 medical students were not significantly correlated with each other (Spearman rank-order correlation = -0.26, p = . 06), the negative correlation supports the proposed hypothesis that there is trend for medical students who report higher levels of spirituality to also describe lower levels of anxiety.
Conclusion: Overall, while the data did not support the hypothesis, it still demonstrated an inverse relationship between self-reported spirituality and psychological stress in medical students at RowanSOM. This outcome is important to note because it is important to consider spirituality as another determinant of physical and mental health, particularly in the osteopathic field. This study serves as a reminder to continue to pursue all avenues of health and that the body is truly a unit.
Acknowledgement of Research Study Sponsors and IRB: This study was reviewed and approved by the RowanSOM IRB.
