Predictors of high achievers in Indian medical undergraduates: Association with emotional intelligence and perceived stress
Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2020, Pages 1-6
. Magna Manjareeka, . Srijan Yadav
Abstract BACKGROUND: Today’s Bachelor in Medicine, Bachelor in Surgery (MBBS) students will become
Indian Medical Graduates in future. Emotional intelligence (EI) is an essential component in the
making of an Indian Medical Graduate. There is increasing stress during medical training. The study
was conducted to compare the association of EI score and perceived stress scale (PSS) among
average and excellent undergraduate medical students. The secondary objective was to find the
predictors of excellent academic performance.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive cross‑sectional study was conducted after institutional
ethics committee approval. All 522 consented students studying in 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 9th semesters filled
up established pre‑validated questionnaires ; Schutteself report EI test and Cohen’s perceived stress
scale. Sociodemographic details of the respondents were collected. Average attendance and marks
of previous semester examinations of all included students were collected from academic cell of the
institution. All students were grouped into three groups: average, good, and excellent performers
from the marks collected. Comparison of EI scores and PSS scores was done between students in
excellent and average groups using unpaired t‑test.
RESULTS: Of the 94.9% of respondents, 78.2% of the students were included in the study. The mean
EI and PSS scores were 123 ± 14.5 and 22.8 ± 13.9, respectively. There was no statistically significant
difference in EI scores between average and excellent performers ([123.8 ± 18.7] vs. [127.7 ± 16];
P – 0.089). Perceived stress was lower in excellent performers ([20.9 ± 11.1] vs. [24.8 ± 15.0];
P – 0.01). EI was associated with better performance in clinical year students. EI was negatively
correlated to perceived stress.
CONCLUSION. Our study provides predictors of excellent academic performances among Indian
medical undergraduates. This study suggests introduction of extracurricular activities in ongoing
undergraduate curricular syllabus. It imparts awareness among students about the importance of
attending classes. This study bestows higher EI and lower perceived stress to better academic
performance.