Motive, Berufsziele und Hoffnungen von Studienanfängern im Fach Medizin

Dark triad traits, study and power motives among medical students-A cross-sectional study at a German medical faculty

Background

A good physician should be empathic and altruistic, among other qualities. Therefore, the levels of socially undesirable personality traits (Dark Triad) as well as implicit motives of achievement, affiliation and power (Multi-Motive Grid) among medical students as future physicians were analyzed at two different points in their medical training.

Methods

This study includes 380 medical students in their first year and 217 in their third year in Germany. All participants completed the Dirty Dozen (DD) and Multi-Motive Grid (MMG) questionnaires at the end of two different classes as paper-and-pencil tests. Relevant differences of the Dark Triad traits between the medical students and reference sample and the two different cohorts, as well as their implicit motives, the associations of Dark Triad traits and MMG components and gender differences of the Dark Triad traits were calculated.

Results

There were no significant group differences between year one and year three medical students in narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism (Dark Triad). There were no significant differences between the medical students and reference sample except in psychopathy. Male students scored significantly higher in the Dark Triad traits than female students. In the MMG, first-year students scored significantly higher levels in Fear of Rejection, and lower levels in Hope of Success and Hope of Power than the third-year students. Some associations were found between narcissism and Machiavelliansim with Hope of Success, Hope of Power and Fear of power.

Conclusions

Dark Triad traits already appear to exist before the commencement of medical studies. These traits do not differ significantly between the medical students and reference sample; only a few MMG components seem to differ at different stages of their studies. This lack of differences between the medical students and validation cohort indicates that tests based on (undesirable) personality traits are not suitable criteria for the admission selection of medical students.

[Psychological distress in medical students - a comparison of the Universities of Munich and Witten/Herdecke]

OBJECTIVES

This study compares the distress levels of medical students in two different academic settings.

METHODS

Data were collected from N= 76 medical students at the Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) and N = 343 medical students at Ludwig Maximilians University Munich (LMU) with an online questionnaire battery of established questionnaire instruments for assessing distress as well as life and study satisfaction (SWE, ADS-K, PSQ, SF-12, STQL-S).

RESULTS

Data analysis revealed significant differences between the students with regard to self efficacy expectation, depression, psychological distress, and satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Because no differences in coping strategies were found between the two groups of students, with the exception of relaxation techniques, the impact of contextual and structural factors on medical students' well-being is discussed.

[The image of general practitioners' profession in a changing society]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Due to a--depending on the region--already existent or predicted lack of general practitioners, the German health care is confronted with a serious problem. Besides the political general conditions and problems regarding the vocational training, social changes can influence the attractiveness of general practitioners' profession, thereby possibly also effecting a lack of young general practitioners. The aim of this study was to explore, which image exists of general practitioners' profession from their viewpoint and which social developments influence their image.

METHOD

A qualitative study was undertaken by interviewing 16 general practitioners in their practices or in the Department of General Practice and Health Service Research, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Germany.

RESULTS

From the general practitioners' point of view, the image they have is positive in people from rural districts and the elder generation, but negative in younger people and urbanites. The image is influenced by the following social changes: declining social competencies, obligation and responsibility, an increasing distance to illness and sick persons as well as an increasing flexibility.

CONCLUSION

Since particularly younger people have a negative opinion of general practitioners and young physicians belong to that target group, the subject general medicine might be less attractive to trainees. That is why the general practitioner is not perceived as a professional future perspective. Social changes influencing the choice of career should increasingly be considered as a starting point for the development of approaches directed against the lack of trainees in general medicine.