Existential distress in medical students matters: an exploratory pilot study of the occurrence of the existential distress phenomenon in the Czech medical students

Abstract

Background: Existential distress is not only the experience of the terminally ill. The study of medicine exposes students to death and dying from the outset. To integrate reflection on existential distress into medical education, it is essential to explore its prevalence and characteristics among medical students.

Methods: We conducted an electronic questionnaire survey at the Faculty of Medicine, in which 622 students participated (394 general medicine students and 228 students from other health disciplines). The survey explored students' experiences of existential distress and attitudes towards its inclusion in the curriculum.

Results: The results showed that a significant 47.9% of medical students experienced existential distress, with no significant difference between general medicine and other health discipline students. In addition, 87.5% of students believed that patients do not openly discuss existential distress with health professionals. As a result, 96% felt that healthcare professionals should have the skills to address existential distress, while 86% felt that addressing their own existential distress should be part of the medical psychology course. Students reported various challenges in communicating about existential distress with patients, including difficulty finding the right words (57.4%), concerns about their emotional reactions (52.6%), and fears about patients' emotional reactions (48.1%).

Conclusions: The present pilot study shows that fear and anxiety related to death and dying are highly prevalent among medical students. It argues that existential distress is an important issue that needs to be addressed theoretically and practically during medical education.