Stress and Coping Strategies among Medical Students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2020: A Cross-Sectional Study

Studies across the world, have revealed elevated levels of stress among medical students. The rate of significant stress is 55% higher among healthcare professionals in comparison to the general population. This level of stress may lead to higher rates of burnout, depression, and functional impairment. This study aims to investigate the stress levels among medical students in Dubai and also to assess their coping strategies. The total number of participants in this study was 97. Rates of high stress levels as per the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was found to be higher among year 1 to year 3 medical students (43.6%), in comparison to year 4 and year 5 medical students (7.7%). The Brief-COPE inventory was used in this study and found that among medical students the mean score for a Problem Focused coping style was 22 out of 32 (medium to high range). Future research that evaluates a more comprehensive investigation into the psychological impact of stress and also exploration of effective strategies to enhance coping with stress is highly warranted. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: This study was conducted with the approval of the local ethical review board at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (Topic Number SRP-2018-040). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript