Emotional Factors and Family Functionality in Students of the School of Medical Sciences of the Central University of Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction: High university standards, inadequate management of study time, low tolerance for failure and frustration due to poor academic results, influence the student perception and self-qualification, which affects the correct adaptation and learning. Objective: characterize and analyze the emotional conditions of university students in Medical Sciences schools. Subjects and methods: An observational study of a cross-sectional analytical epidemiological type, was carried out with 304 students enrolled in Medicine, Obstetrics, Nursing, Radiology and Clinical Laboratory. studies. Measurements: age, sex, origin, residence, emotional factors such as hopelessness, frustration, guilt, adaptation and family functionality were considered, for which a questionnaire with 145 closed multiple-choice questions was used, whose reliability was expressed as hopelessness with Cronbach's alpha of 0.728, frustration with Cronbach's alpha of 0.712, guilt with Cronbach's alpha of 0.608, adaptation with alpha Cronbach's of 0.6. The internal consistency of Smilkstein´s Family functioning scale was measured with Cronbach's alpha of 0.9. Results: Women showed a better adaptation to the environment than men (p <0.05); but the feeling of frustration was greater in women regardless of family functionality; with respect to family dysfunction it was higher in men (p <0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence of emotional disorders in students of careers related to the health sciences is high; 9 out of 10 students have feelings of guilt and 8 of frustration. The prevalence of family dysfunction is 37.2%.