Comparison of Quality of Life between Medical Students and General College Students

Min, Sung Kil; Shin, Won Cheol; Kim, Kwang Il; Chung, Ji In; Kim, Dong Kee

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The quality of life of medical students was investigated and compared with that of general college students to identify what kind of problems medical students are suffering from. METHOD: Korean version of WHOQOL-BREF was administered to 317 medical students and 150 general college students of Yonsei University in 1999. Collected data were analyzed with t-test and multiple regression analysis
RESULTS
There was no significant difference in the total scores of WHOQOL-BREF between medical students and general college students. However, the scores of facets of sleep and rest, sexual activity, and participation and opportunities for recreation/leisure were significantly lower in medical students than in general college students, while the scores of facets of dependency on medication and treatment, financial resources, opportunities for acquiring new information and skills, and transport were significantly higher in medical students than in general college students. The score of social relationships domain was significantly lower in medical students than in general college students, while, the score of environmental domain was significantly higher in medical students than in general college students. Physical, environmental and social relationships domains contributed more to the quality of life of medical students than psychological domain while psychological and environmental domains contributed more to the quality of life of general college students than physical and social relationships domains.
CONCLUSION
The result suggests that it is necessary to improve the quality of life of medical students in social relationships domain and in the facets of sleep and rest, sexual activity, participation and opportunities for recreation/leisure.