Dataset Information

Ambiguity tolerance among medical students and its relationship with personality and participation in the mentoring program: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Low ambiguity tolerance (AT) can lead to burnout and impact medical students' quality of life. Interventions are effective in increasing tolerance in ambiguous situations. Mentors can be facilitators in ambiguous situations. We aimed to determine the AT among Tehran University of medical sciences (TUMS) medical students and assess its relation with personality traits and mentor-seeking behavior.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was designed. We used Budner AT questionnaire and the Ten Item Personality Inventory in our study. Questionnaires were sent to 350 randomly selected TUMS medical students in different years of education. Two hundred six students completed the questionnaires. The response rate was 58.85%.

Results

The mean AT score was 59.77 among TUMS medical students. No significant difference was seen between different genders and students with different marital statuses. Also, AT was constant among students at different years at medical school and at different education levels (P > 0.05). Students who had participated in the mentoring program were significantly more intolerant of novel situations (P = 0.01). However, they did not have significantly different scores in other subscales of AT scale and its total score than those who had not participated in the mentoring program (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Medical students are more intolerant of ambiguity at TUMS than medical students abroad, and there should be interventions to help them cope in ambiguous situations. Mentoring programs may also be considered for future interventions as participants who participate in the program are less tolerant of ambiguity in novel situations.

SUBMITTER: Nakhostin-Ansari A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7889433 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Ambiguity tolerance among medical students and its relationship with personality and participation in the mentoring program: A cross-sectional study.

Nakhostin-Ansari Amin A Maghbouli Nastaran N Shayestefar Monir M

Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) 20210129

<h4>Background</h4>Low ambiguity tolerance (AT) can lead to burnout and impact medical students' quality of life. Interventions are effective in increasing tolerance in ambiguous situations. Mentors can be facilitators in ambiguous situations. We aimed to determine the AT among Tehran University of medical sciences (TUMS) medical students and assess its relation with personality traits and mentor-seeking behavior.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional study was designed. We used Budner AT questionnai ...[more]

PMID: 33643640

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundDespite increasing recognition that mentoring is essential early in medical careers, little is known about the prevalence of mentoring programs for medical students. We conducted this study to survey all medical schools in Germany regarding the prevalence of mentoring programs for medical students as well as the characteristics, goals and effectiveness of these programs.MethodsA definition of mentoring was established and program inclusion criteria were determined based on a review of the literature. The literature defined mentoring as a steady, long-lasting relationship designed to promote the mentee's overall development. We developed a questionnaire to assess key characteristics of mentoring programs: the advocated mentoring model, the number of participating mentees and mentors, funding and staff, and characteristics of mentees and mentors (e.g., level of training). In addition, the survey characterized the mentee-mentor relationship regarding the frequency of meetings, forms of communication, incentives for mentors, the mode of matching mentors and mentees, and results of program evaluations. Furthermore, participants were asked to characterize the aims of their programs. The questionnaire consisted of 34 questions total, in multiple-choice (17), numeric (7) and free-text (10) format. This questionnaire was sent to deans and medical education faculty in Germany between June and September 2009. For numeric answers, mean, median, and standard deviation were determined. For free-text items, responses were coded into categories using qualitative free text analysis.ResultsWe received responses from all 36 medical schools in Germany. We found that 20 out of 36 medical schools in Germany offer 22 active mentoring programs with a median of 125 and a total of 5,843 medical students (6.9 - 7.4% of all German medical students) enrolled as mentees at the time of the survey. 14 out of 22 programs (63%) have been established within the last 2 years. Six programs (27%) offer mentoring in a one-on-one setting. 18 programs (82%) feature faculty physicians as mentors. Nine programs (41%) involve students as mentors in a peer-mentoring setting. The most commonly reported goals of the mentoring programs include: establishing the mentee's professional network (13 programs, 59%), enhancement of academic performance (11 programs, 50%) and counseling students in difficulties (10 programs, 45%).ConclusionsDespite a clear upsurge of mentoring programs for German medical students over recent years, the overall availability of mentoring is still limited. The mentoring models and goals of the existing programs vary considerably. Outcome data from controlled studies are needed to compare the efficiency and effectiveness of different forms of mentoring for medical students.

Project description:Background:Certain personal attributes, such as perfectionism and tolerance of ambiguity, have been identified as influential in high achieving students. Medical students have been identified as high achievers and perfectionistic, and as such may be challenged by ambiguity. Medical students undertake a long and challenging degree. Personality has been shown to influence the well-being and coping and may equip some students to better cope with challenges. This paper examines the association between temperament and character personality profiles with measures of tolerance of ambiguity and with both adaptive and maladaptive constructs of perfectionism. Methods:A self-report questionnaire collected data on a sample of 808 Australian medical students in 2014 and 2015. Personality was measured using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCIR-140) and classified traits as profiles using a latent class analysis. Two profiles were found. Profile 1 was characterized by low-average levels of Harm Avoidance, and high to very high levels of Persistence, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness. Moderately-high levels of Harm Avoidance and high levels of Persistence, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness characterized Profile 2. Moderation regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between the personality profiles with levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity (MSAT-II), Perfectionism-Concern over Mistakes and Perfectionism-High Standards (FMPS), considering demographic characteristics. Results:Students with Profile 1 were higher in levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity, and Perfectionism-High Standards, and lower levels of Perfectionism-Concern over Mistakes compared to Profile 2. These findings remained statistically significant after adjusting for age and gender. A significant personality by age interaction on Tolerance of Ambiguity was found. While higher levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity were associated with older age overall, it remained low across age for students with a personality Profile 2. Conclusions:A particular combination of personality traits was identified to be associated with low Tolerance of Ambiguity and high levels of maladaptive Perfectionism. An intolerance of ambiguity and over concern about mistakes may be maladaptive and underlie vulnerability to stress and poor coping. The psychobiological model of personality provides insight into traits that are stable and those that can be self-regulated through education and training. The interaction between biological mechanisms and socio-cultural learning is relevant to a sample of medical students because it accounts for interaction of the biological or innate aspects of their personal development within an intense and competitive learning environment of medical school.

Project description:BackgroundThe current system of clinical training for midwifery students in Poland is in need of considerable revision to adapt it to the global standards and the expectations of healthcare providers, healthcare users and student midwives themselves. Aim of this study was to report the experiences of midwifery students participating in a mentor-led clinical training program and their opinions of mentoring as a novel training method.MethodsA qualitative descriptive study that used a focus group was undertaken in the period from October 2017 to June 2019. The participants were 12 s- and third-year midwifery students at the Medical University of Warsaw who at various times during the study period had their clinical training in the Department of Obstetrics, Solec Hospital in Warsaw, Poland. All students had previous experience of clinical training other than clinical mentorship. At the end of the study, a focus group interview was conducted with all 12 participants. Five questions were selected to guide the focus group discussion: Did you get any valuable learning experience during your clinical training? How did this clinical training differ from your previous clinical training? What was your experience of one-on-one mentoring? Did the mentoring program meet your expectations? What do you think could be changed to make the proposed mentor-led clinical training more effective?ResultsFour themes were identified. The study demonstrated that mentoring was perceived by the participants as an innovative and effective method of clinical training for midwifery students. All students positively evaluated the quality of the mentor-led clinical training which allowed improving their clinical skills and building new competencies. Students believed they could effectively use their clinical skills and make informed decisions in a safe and supportive clinical learning environment. They felt that their inclusion in the therapeutic team contributed to better patient care.ConclusionsThe use of innovative forms of clinical training at undergraduate level improves its effectiveness and in the future should be reflected in a high-quality maternity care. Mentoring has its advantages for both, mentor and mentee, but the main goal is to develop and improve professional competencies of the junior partner.

Dataset Information

Ambiguity tolerance among medical students and its relationship with personality and participation in the mentoring program: A cross-sectional study.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Ambiguity tolerance among medical students and its relationship with personality and participation in the mentoring program: A cross-sectional study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets