Depressed as Freshmen, Stressed as Seniors: The Relationship between Depression, Perceived Stress and Academic Results among Medical Students.

Research in the field has identified the presence of stress and depression among medical students. However, no other study has pointed out the differences between years of study. The objectives of the study are to identify the levels of stress and depression among medical students and to point out the relationship between these two variables. Methods: The cross-sectional study gathered data regarding socio-demographic characteristics, depression, self-identified psychological and physical symptoms during stressful periods and perceived stress among medical students in a university in Romania. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics v23. For comparative analysis the t-test for independent samples and one-way ANOVA was used and for correlational analysis, Pearson and Spearman correlations was used. Results: Freshmen are the most depressed and graduating students are the most stressed medical students. Statistical analysis reveals an average score of perceived stress (M = 17.31 ± 6.79) and mild-moderate depression (M = 10.11 ± 7.69). Women are more prone to symptoms of depression. Students enrolled in the third year of study are the least depressed and the least stressed. Perceived stress is significantly positive correlated with depression and negative in strong correlation with the number of course credits received. More than half of students experience an increased rate of anxiety and consumption of alcohol, coffee, sweets or cigarettes during stressful academic periods. Over 60% declare themselves satisfied with their academic results. Conclusions: Strategies to diminish the level of stress and depression among medical students are necessary. Psychological support and educational counseling should start from admission, since freshmen experience the highest rate of depression.

Pain dilates time perception.

We have all experienced that time seems stretched during unpleasant situations. While there is evidence of subjective time overestimation when perceiving external unpleasant stimuli, no study has measured the dilation of time when individuals experience an unpleasant situation in their own body. Here we measured the time dilation induced by a painful homeostatic deviance using temporal bisection task. We show that being in pain leads to an expansion of subjective time whereby a stronger increase in pain perception relative to non-painful stimulation leads to a stronger time-estimate distortion. Neurophysiological studies suggest that time estimation and the perception of self might share a common neural substrate. We propose that, along with bodily arousal and attentional capture, the enhancement of self-awareness may be critical to support dilated subjective time when experiencing pain. As other homeostatic deviances, pain may induce a focus on ourselves contributing to the impression that "time stands still".

The Contribution of Alexithymia to Burnout in Forensic Physicians.

The Aim: The aim of the study was to identify the relationship between the level of burnout subdomains and alexithymia among forensic physicians working in forensic institutions in Romania. Material and Methods: A number of 37 forensic physicians were included in the survey. Burnout and alexithymia were measured by using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. The obtained data were processed using the SPSS 17.00 statistical software. Results: The subjects obtained an average of 43.27±3.71, which corresponds to a low level of alexithymia. For burnout scores, we have obtained M=14.97±13.13 for emotional exhaustion, M=7.91±6.87 for depersonalization and M=33.18±10.59 for personal accomplishment (low-level for emotional exhaustion and medium-level burnout for the other two factors). Among the socio-demographic variables, only the age correlated positively with the burnout factor personal accomplishment. Positive correlations were identified between burnout factors and TAS-20. Comparative analysis results are important for the presence of insomnia, depression, teaching activity and looking for professional support after critical events. Conclusions: Scores for forensic physicians are low-level for emotional exhaustion and medium-level for two subdomains and low-level for alexithymia. Factors revealed by the comparative analysis are important to adjust professional activity and to find strategies to cope with stressful professional events.