Abstract

CONCHADO, Julio et al. Academic stress and cortisol values in medical students. RCTU [online]. 2018, vol.5, n.1, pp.77-82. ISSN 1390-7697.  https://doi.org/10.26423/rctu.v5i1.322.

Stress is one of the most widespread health problems today. The main objective of this research was to determine the relation between levels of academic stress (AE) perceived and the concentrations of cortisol in blood, a cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out that included 113 students (49 men and 64 women) from the first cycle of medicine at the Catholic University of Cuenca (UCACUE)-Ext. Azogues, to which the SISCO inventory was applied at the conclusion of the last final examination, proceeding subsequently to extract a blood sample for the determination of cortisol values. The main results show that the total of students had average levels (13.3% men, 15.9% women) and high (30.1% men, 40.7% women) of academic stress. The high level of academic stress was presented in a significantly high percentage of students and in female gender. Cortisol values were significantly higher in men than in women at the level of average academic stress and similar in the high level. In both genders and in general, students with high academic stress levels had significantly higher cortisol values. In conclusion, all the students manifest medium and high levels of academic stress, being cortisol a hormone whose increase plays a key chemical mediation in response to stress.

Keywords : Cortisol; Academic strees; Medical students.

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