Korean J Med Educ.  2011 Mar;23(1):7-14.

"I'm Not Happy, But I Don't Care": Help-Seeking Behavior, Academic Difficulties, and Happiness

• Shin HI
• Jeon WT

Abstract

PURPOSE
Medical education is perceived as being very stressful, which leads to declines in subjective well-being in medical students. Therefore, student counseling is becoming an exigent issue. The goal of this study was to investigate the academic difficulties and subjective well-being of medical students to identify their needs with regard to counseling. In addition, we analyzed help-seeking behaviors of students to develop an effective counseling program.
METHODS
We performed a survey (n=205) to determine the extent to which medical students encounter academic difficulties in their lives in medical school and how they attempt to resolve their problems. In addition, we used the Oxford Happiness Scale to examine the relationships between academic performance, previous help-seeking behavior, and happiness in medical students.
RESULTS
Of various types of problems, 62% of medical students perceived learning difficulties to be the most serious issue in medical school. Despite encountering difficulties, more than 67% of students failed to seek help from faculty or their fellow students. There was a significant relationship between happiness score and previous help-seeking behavior. A lack of perceived seriousness was identified as the most significant barrier to seeking help.
CONCLUSION
Access to counseling programs must be improved for students with apparent academic difficulties who do not seek counseling. Through such programs, students can learn and practice methods of coping with their difficulties and develop medical and professional competence.

Keyword

Help-seeking behavior; Learning disorders; Happiness; Medical students; Counseling

MeSH Terms

Counseling
Education, Medical
Happiness
Humans
Learning
Learning Disorders
Professional Competence
Schools, Medical
Students, Medical