The Nexus between Personal Life Events of Medical Students and Distress: A Case of Two Newly Established Medical Schools in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The article is based on a study whose aim was to investigate sources and levels of distress among medical students at two newly established medical schools in Zimbabwe. The study used a mixed methods approach and a concurrent parallel design. A sample of 123 medical students, drawn from two newly established medical schools in Zimbabwe, was used for the study. The participants‘ ages ranged between 18 and 47 years. The study used a structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews to collect data. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected separately, analysed independently, and merged at the interpretation stage. Numerical codes were used for the quantitative data. The quantitative data were entered into the SPSS version 21 and analysed using regression analysis. The computed quantitative data showed significant relationships between personal life events and medical students‘ distress. The qualitative data were analysed thematically. Personal life events were examined under the following themes: death of a loved one and distress, pregnancy and distress, a gain of a new member in the family, change in the health of self or family member, and distress, and marital separation and distress. The death of a loved one was found to be the only significant factor affecting medical students at the two newly established schools in Zimbabwe.