FRI-2K.201-1-HP-11
NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE OF MILITARY MEDICAL STUDENTS DURING EXAM
Abstract
Studying in institution of higher education puts into a test nervous-psychic resilience of students. Their first year in university is extremely stressful. The encounter with new requirements, a change of residence, a new way of teaching and socialization in a new environment increase the stress level of the personality. Mental stress is defined as "all measurable influences on the human being that have an external source and affect him mentally". The present study aims to track the dynamics of neuropsychological resilience of first-year military medical students, before and during an exam. Research methods: monitoring of stress levels and heart rate with Garmin Vivo bracelets and conducting a psychological test of Zung to measure the level of anxiety. Garmin Vivo sports bracelets enable tracking the changes that have occurred by the biofeedback method, reported using the HRV (heart rate variability) technology, which measures heart rate and stress level. The research methodology includes establishing the person's individual of stress levels, heart rate and anxiety. The period’s duration of tracking changes in heart rate and stress level is three days. The bracelets are placed on the subjects the day before the exam and removed the day after the exam. This allows both changes and average levels of stress and heart rate characteristic of the examined to be recorded. The results show that the normal stress and heart rate values of the subjects are higher compared to the referent values for this age group . This can be explained by the upsurge workload and studying requirements during the period of medical education adding their lifestyle as a cadets. Dynamics in the nervous-psychic resilience of the surveyed during the exam altogether are taken into account. Individual differences determine which part of the exam (oral or written) is more stressful for the student. A greater number of the examinees have increased stress levels during the oral part, which can be explained by the necessity of rapidly switching attention from question to question and structuring the answers accordingly. The research data can be used in conducting analyses regarding the adaptation process and mental health of medical students.
Keywords
Medical Students, Resilience, Stress, Heart Rate
REFERENCES
- Nedeva R., Stavrev D., (2023). The role of biofeedback in establishing the relationship between subjective assessment of current mental state and stress control skills, Varna Medical Forum, p.12, (1), pp. 159-163.
- Nedeva R., (2018). Differences in perceiving the environment according to the resilience level, Varna Medical Forum, p.7, (1), pp. 625-26.
- Richter G., Gruber H., Uscilowska A., Jancurova L., Konova D., (2008). Neuropsychological burden: identification and assessment of danger; taking measures, 5, 15
- Immanuel S., Teferra M., Baumert M., Bidargaddi N., (2023). Heart Rate Variability for Evaluating Psychological Stress Changes in Healthy Adults: A Scoping Review.
- Sammito S., Böckelmann I., (2016). Reference Values of Heart Rate Variability
- Harvard Health Publishing Staff, (2023). Heart rate variability: How it might indicate well- being.
- Task Force of The European Society of Cardiology and The North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (Membership of the Task Force listed in the Appendix), (1996). Heart rate variability: Standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use.
- Hashmi А., Hipp D., (2024). Normal Resting Heart Rate by Age (Chart).
- Khazan Z. I, (2013). A clinical handbook of biofeedback, 41, 350.
- Garmin Ltd., (2024). Understanding HRV status on your garmin device.
- Hills P., Argyle M., (2001). The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire: a compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being, 9.
- Shterev R., (2016). Biofeedback and brain stimulation, instrumental methods for diagnostics and therapy when working with patients with stress and psychosomatic disorders.