THE RELATIONSHIP B/W PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS, SELF-ESTEEM AND SUICIDAL IDEATION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS.

Abstract

Medical students globally face a disproportionately high burden of psychological distress, with established links between academic stress and severe mental health outcomes. This study investigated the interrelationships between psychological stress, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation among 150 medical students, aged 18-25, selected via purposive sampling. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, participants completed standardized measures: the Student Stress Inventory (SSI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI). Data analysis employed Pearson correlations, linear regression, and independent samples t-tests. The results revealed a significant positive correlation between psychological stress and suicidal ideation (r = .341, p < .01), and subsequent regression analysis confirmed stress as a significant predictor, accounting for 11% of the variance in suicidal thoughts (R² = .11, p < .001). Contrary to theoretical expectations, no significant correlations were found between self-esteem and suicidal ideation (r = .005, p > .05) or between self-esteem and psychological stress (r = .114, p > .05). Further regression analyses confirmed that neither stress nor suicidal ideation was a significant predictor of self-esteem within this sample. Regarding demographic differences, female students reported statistically significant higher levels of psychological stress than their male counterparts (t(148) = -2.92, p = .004); however, no significant gender differences were observed for levels of self-esteem (p = .803) or suicidal ideation (p = .270). The findings underscore that psychological stress operates as a direct and significant contributor to suicidal ideation in this population, while the role of self-esteem appears less central than previously theorized. This highlights the critical imperative for medical institutions to prioritize robust, accessible stress-reduction interventions and mental health support systems, rather than focusing primarily on self-esteem building, to effectively mitigate the risk of severe psychological outcomes in future medical professionals