Stress, Psychological
Conditions
Keywords
Stress, Medical education
Brief summary
Clerkship causes significant stress to medical students. Some interventions to increase well-being have been described but none have been studied prospectively in this context. The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of gratitude journaling on medical clerks' perceived well-being. Students will be randomised to one of two groups: gratitude journaling or no intervention. The participants of the experimental group will be asked to complete an online gratitude journal 3 times per week and will be compared to the participants in the control group. The students in both groups will answer a standardised questionnaire evaluating well-being before and after their surgical rotation. Those randomised to the intervention group will perform gratitude journaling three times a week during their surgical rotation. This activity consists of writing something that made them feel happy during their day. Those randomised in the control group (no intervention) will proceed with their normal rotation, without additional gratitude journaling. The main outcome will be evaluated by comparing the well-being at the end of the surgical rotation as evaluated by a composite well-being assessment scale between both groups.
Detailed description
Medical education involves 2 years of rotations in different medical and surgical specialties. These cause significant stress to clerks, in particular during the surgery rotation. In other professional fields, mindfulness techniques have shown only small to moderate effect on mental health compared to the control group. An alternative approach to increasing well-being is gratitude journaling. A study examining this approach in student populations demonstrated enhanced well-being and life satisfaction. The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of gratitude journaling on medical clerks' perceived well-being. Students will be randomised to one of two groups: gratitude journaling or no intervention. The participants of the experimental group will be asked to complete an online gratitude journal 3 times per week and will be compared to the participants in the control group. The students in both groups will answer a standardised questionnaire evaluating well-being before and after their surgical rotation. Those randomised to the intervention group will perform gratitude journaling three times a week during their surgical rotation. This activity consists of writing something that made them feel happy during their day. Those randomised in the control group (no intervention) will proceed with their normal rotation, without additional gratitude journaling. The main outcome will be evaluated by comparing the well-being at the end of the surgical rotation as evaluated by a composite well-being assessment scale between both groups.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALGratitude journaling
Gratitude journaling 3 times a week during surgical rotation
Sponsors
Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
The questionnaires will be coded as to not be able to identify study arm.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Medical students at the University of Montreal about to begin their surgical clerkship rotation.
Exclusion criteria
\-
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Well-being | 6 weeks after enrollment | Medical student well-being at the end of their surgical rotation. Measured by Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, 1983) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Well-being before and after comparison | 6 weeks after enrollment in study | Before and after comparison of well-being by comparing initial and post-intervention questionnaires (Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, 1983)) |
| Compliance with gratitude journaling | 6 weeks after enrollment in study | Proportion of empty entries in the student's gratitude journal |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed