Association of Extracurricular Activities on Academic Stress of Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Medical school is perceived as a stressful environment; thus, students engage in extracurricular activities such as physical exercise or join organizations to help cope with stress. This study investigated the association between engagement in extracurricular activities and academic stress of medical students at a university. The study utilized an analytical cross-sectional approach, wherein stress of medical students was measured using the academic stress subscale of the Student Stress Inventory Questionnaire (SSIQ), and their extracurricular activities were noted. A total sample of 697 participants was enrolled. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires which were distributed to the randomly selected students. Data obtained were analyzed using prevalence odds ratio, Pearson’s chi-square test and ordinal logistic regression. The results showed that non-participation in extracurricular activities, female students and second- and third-year students are positively associated with academic stress. It was also found out that hours spent on extracurricular activities had varied negative and lack of association with academic stress. Lastly, as the number of extracurricular activities increased to 4, a low positive association with academic stress is noted. Thus, participation in extracurricular activities may be a coping mechanism in handling academic stress among medical students.