The Influence of Perceived Stress, Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Family Level of Education on Strength of Motivation among Medical Students

The study identifies the level of motivation, the rate of perceived stress and the relationship with socio-demographic characteristics among medical students. The research questioned 601 students enrolled in a medical university. The level of motivation was evaluated using Strength of Motivation for Medical Students - revised and the perceived stress, by the Perceived Stress Scale - 10. Medical students have a high level of motivation. Women are more motivated but there are no differences when it comes to the level of perceived stress. The least motivated students are those from the 5th and the lowest score for perceived stress was obtained by 3rd -year students. Persistence correlates negatively with perceived stress. The results proved that the less educated their parents are, the more motivated students are Results are important for students to find strategies to decrease their level of stress and to increase their level of motivation, and for university policy makers to find methods of helping students achieve their goals.