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Gender sensitivity and stereotypes in medical university students: An Italian cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: Gender medicine is crucial to reduce health inequalities. Knowledge about students' attitudes and beliefs regarding men, women and gender is important to improve gender medicine courses. The aim of this study is to evaluate gender stereotypes and its predictors in Italian medical students. We performed an online cross-sectional study among students from the University of Turin. We used the validated Nijmegen Gender Awareness Scale in Medicine scale to explore gender sensitivity and stereotypes. Multivariable logistic regression model was performed to explore potential predictors of gender awareness. We enrolled 430 students. Female sex, a better knowledge on gender medicine and having had a tutor aware of gender issues are associated with higher gender sensitivity. Older age, a better knowledge on gender medicine and having had a tutor sensitive to gender issues were predictors of more stereotyped opinions towards patients. Having had a tutor aware of gender medicine, male sex and older age were associated with more stereotypes towards doctors. Italian students have high gender sensitivity and low gender stereotypes. Age, higher knowledge of gender medicine and having had a tutor that considered gender were associated with higher gender stereotypes. Focusing on gender awareness in medical schools can contribute to a better care.

SUBMITTER: Bert F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8735594 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Gender sensitivity and stereotypes in medical university students: An Italian cross-sectional study.

Bert Fabrizio F Boietti Edoardo E Rousset Stefano S Pompili Erika E Franzini Tibaldeo Eleonora E Gea Marta M Scaioli Giacomo G Siliquini Roberta R

PloS one 20220106 1

Gender medicine is crucial to reduce health inequalities. Knowledge about students' attitudes and beliefs regarding men, women and gender is important to improve gender medicine courses. The aim of this study is to evaluate gender stereotypes and its predictors in Italian medical students. We performed an online cross-sectional study among students from the University of Turin. We used the validated Nijmegen Gender Awareness Scale in Medicine scale to explore gender sensitivity and stereotypes. ...[more]

PMID: 34990471

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Project description:BackgroundMedical humanities can contribute positively to clinical practice and medical education. Therefore, in many countries, medical schools have been progressively incorporating medical humanities into their curriculum. In Italy, only a few medical schools offer a variety of medical humanities courses, often as elective. What induces Italian medical students to take a medical humanities course has not yet been explored. The aim of this study is to fill this gap by investigating whether academic performance, sociodemographic and psychological variables may influence student motivation.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in a medical school and collected data from 260 medical students, from the 3rd to the 6th year of the degree course. The students who chose to take a course in Medical Humanities were compared with those who chose not to take such a course, analysing numeric variables (age, grade point average, psychometric scores) and categorical variables (gender, nationality, educational level, living conditions). Motivations were investigated by open-ended questions and categorized prior to analyses.ResultsThe two subgroups showed no significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics, except for age, which was lower for the students who chose to take a medical humanities course (p < 0.001). Among the psychometric scores, only the anxiety score differed significantly between the groups, being lower for the students who chose a medical humanities course (p < 0.05). Regarding academic performance, the number of examinations passed was similar between the groups, while the average grade was lower for the students taking the course (p < 0.01). Interest in the humanities and their educational potential were the main reasons for choosing to take a course in medical humanities (76.2%). Concurrent commitments and lack of time were the major obstacles to this choice (39%).ConclusionsAge, anxiety levels and academic performance seem to be inversely associated with the choice to take a medical humanities course. Considering the workload due to curricular activities when planning elective courses could increase student participation.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Four percent of the world's population suffers from depression, which is a major public health issue. Medical students are at risk, as their depressive symptoms (DS) prevalence is reported to be approximately 27% worldwide. Since few data on Italian medical students exist, this study aimed to estimate their DS prevalence and assess risk and protective factors. METHODS:The PRIMES was a multicentre cross-sectional study performed in 12 Italian medical schools. Questionnaires were self-reported and included 30 sociodemographic items and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The primary outcome was the presence of DS (BDI-II score≥14). The main analyses were chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regressions with a p-value<0.05 considered significant. RESULTS:The number of collected questionnaires was 2,513 (117 BDI-II incomplete). Females accounted for 61.3% of the respondents, and the median age was 22 years (IQR = 4). The prevalence of DS was 29.5%. Specifically, 14.0% had mild depression, 11.1% had moderate depression, and 4.5% had severe depression. The main risk factors for DS were age, being female, bisexual/asexual orientation, living with partner/housemates, poor economic status (worsened by living far from home), less than 90 min of weekly exercise, relatives with psychiatric disorders, personal chronic disease, judging medical school choice negatively, unsatisfying friendships with classmates, competitive and hostile climate among classmates, thinking that medical school hinders specific activities and being worried about not measuring up to the profession. Protective factors included family cohesion, hobbies, intellectual curiosity as a career motivation and no worries about the future. CONCLUSION:Italian medical students are at high risk of reporting DS, similar to the global population of medical students'. Medical schools must make efforts to implement preventive and treatment interventions by offering counselling and working on modifiable factors, such as lifestyle and learning climate.

Project description:BackgroundMoral Distress (MD) is a unique form of distress that occurs when people believe they know the ethically correct action to take but are constrained from doing so. Limited clinical experience and insufficient ethical knowledge contribute to nursing students' MD, which can potentially cause negative outcomes. The aims of this study are: (1) to describe the MD intensity of nursing students, and (2) to analyze differences and associations between MD intensity and socio-demographic and academic variables.MethodsA cross-sectional study design with a convenience sample of the second, third, and delayed graduation students was included; only students willing to participate and who had attended their scheduled internships in the last six months were eligible for inclusion. To measure the level of MD, we used the It-ESMEE. We collected socio-demographic and academic variables. The data collection occurred from January 2024 to March 2024.ResultsThe students who adhered to the collection were N = 344. The findings reveal that the students perceived a high level of MD in situations related to clinical internship and class. They perceived higher levels of MD when nursing was not their first career choice, were separated or divorced, did not have children, and were not an employed student. The overall MD score is statistically significantly lower among students who had nursing as their first career choice (β = -0.267, p < 0.05), have children (β = -0.470, p < 0.01), and are employed (β = -0.417, p < 0.01). In contrast, being separated or divorced (β = 0.274, p < 0.01) was associated with a higher MD score.ConclusionsThis study has some limitations: data reflect a local context, and the findings may not be generalizable to other regions or educational environments. Additionally, students' recollections of their experiences could be influenced by the passage of time, and there may be a selection bias since only students willing to participate were included. The findings suggest that nursing education programs should incorporate more robust training in ethical decision-making and stress management to better prepare students for the moral challenges in their professional practice.

Project description:BackgroundTraditional gender roles (GRs) have a considerable influence on relationships among couples. These can lead to negative health effects in women; however, their impact on intimate partner violence (IPV) has been less explored, especially among younger women.ObjectiveTo explore the association between traditional GRs and several indicators of IPV on a sample of Spanish female university students involved in heterosexual dating relationships.MethodsA cross-sectional study involving female university students (n = 1,005) pursuing ten degrees (four Health Science degrees and six Social Sciences degrees). Data were collected using two validated scales: 1) the Questionnaire on the Gender Determinants of Contraception (COGANT), used to examine four traditional GRs (submissive, blind, and passive attitudes of female students, and male dominance), and 2) the Dating Violence Questionnaire-R (DVQ-R) scale, used to measure five types of IPV-behaviors (coercion, detachment, humiliation, sexual violence, and physical violence), perceived fear, entrapment, and abuse. Logistic and linear regressions were conducted to study the association between GR and a series of IPV indicators in dating relationships.ResultsTraditional GRs were highly prevalent (57.0% submissive, 52.0% blind attitude, 75.7% passive, and 31.7% identified their boyfriend as being dominant). Up to 66.3% experienced some type of violent behavior. All GRs were significantly associated with IPV indicators. A submissive attitude in female students was the GR that was most strongly associated to total IPV-behavior (adjusted odd ratio [OR] = 3.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.29-4.42), followed by male dominance (OR = 2.79: 95% CI:1.71: 4.54). Both GRs were also highly associated with perceived fear, entrapment, and abuse.ConclusionsA high presence of traditional GRs was found in the relationships held by female university students, which was significantly associated with IPV indicators. Universities must adopt policies for gender equality and raise awareness on dating violence.

Dataset Information

Gender sensitivity and stereotypes in medical university students: An Italian cross-sectional study.

Publications

Gender sensitivity and stereotypes in medical university students: An Italian cross-sectional study.

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