Abstract

Background: The present study was aimed to estimate and compare the level of mental stress in newly joined 1st-year undergraduate medical students. Aims and Objectives: The objectives of this study were to estimate and compare the level of mental stress in 1st-year undergraduate medical students at joining and after 2 months of joining the course.
Materials and Methods: Newly joined 98 1st-year undergraduate MBBS students of either gender (female = 54 and male = 44) were selected as study participants. At joining and after 2 months of joining the course, baseline and postcounseling perceived stress scale (PSS) scores were measured using PSS, respectively. For the first 2 months, after joining counseling and yoga interventions were given for all the study participants. The data collected were statistically analyzed by paired t-test.
Results: Regular counseling based interventions and yoga sessions for the initial 2 months of the course caused a significant reduction in post-counseling PSS score (P < 0.0001) compared to its baseline value. Conclusion: Significant reduction in post-counseling PSS score is suggestive of the effectiveness of the proper counseling sessions and yoga workout.