Examination Stress and Salivary Cortisol Levels in Kazakh and Indian Medical Students

Abstract

Stress is an important component of modern life and has become a serious problem for the health of the population as a whole. Studying at a medical university is accompanied by significant psycho-emotional stress among students. Medical students experience acute stress during exams. One of the markers of stress is cortisol. Objectives: to evaluate the level of cortisol in Indian medical students and Kazakhstan medical students during the examination stress. Methods: The study involved 134 medical students aged from 18 to 23 years, of which 81 were men, 53 women, studying in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of the West Kazakhstan Medical University named after Marat Ospanov. Among them are 67 students from India (46 men and 21 women) and 67 students from Kazakhstan (35 men and 32 women). Groups for the study were formed by random sampling. Free cortisol concentrations in saliva were measured in a diagnostic laboratory using the standard kit "Cortisol Saliva ELISA" of the company "DBC". Results: No significant differences were found in the level of saliva cortisol under conditions outside exam stress (Cortisol 1) and saliva cortisol under exam stress conditions (Cortisol 2) between a group of Indian and Kazakhstan students without regard to year of study. The level of free saliva cortisol under conditions outside exam stress is significantly higher in the general group of women compared to the general group of men. Increased salivary cortisol levels under examination stress were observed in all groups and examined. Conclusion: Identification of a contingent of students with high levels of cortisol (i.e., more susceptible to stress) will allow us to develop and recommend a set of measures that will help reduce cortisol levels and neutralize its pathogenic effect on the functioning of the main systems of the body.