College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, P.O. Box: 26671, Bahrain.
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
BMC Psychol. 2024 Mar 8;12(1):133. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01616-w.
Cultural factors influence attitudes toward death, and gender disparities are evident. Prior studies show that medical students have limited knowledge about death and are uncomfortable with it. Moreover, there is limited research that has examined factors that influence medical students' knowledge and attitudes toward death.
The objectives of the study were to compare cultural and gender differences in relation to knowledge and attitudes toward loss and grief and to screen for complicated grief among medical students at the Arabian Gulf University and the University of Toronto.
A cross-sectional study was disseminated to medical students at both universities in 2022. The variables in the survey included four parts: demographic characteristics of the participants, religious observance, history of encountering loss of a loved one, grief following loss, attitude toward death, and learning about how to deal with grief and death during medical school. The brief grief questionnaire and the death attitude profile-revised scales were used.
The study sample consisted of 168 medical students, with 74.1% being female. Complicated grief scores were higher among Arabian Gulf University students (3.87 ± 2.39) than among University of Toronto students (2.00 ± 1.93) and were higher for participants with a higher degree of religious observance in both schools (p < 0.05). Death avoidance (p = 0.003), approach acceptance (p < 0.001), and escape acceptance (p = 0.038) domains were significantly higher among Arabian Gulf University students than among University of Toronto students. Almost three-quarters of University of Toronto students reported not being taught about grief, compared to 54% of Arabian Gulf University students.
Arabian Gulf University medical students scored higher on complicated grief, most likely due to cultural and religious factors. Females at both institutions as well as those who indicated a higher level of religious observance reported higher scores of complicated grief. The study highlights how cultural and religious beliefs influence medical students' attitudes toward death and bereavement. It provides valuable insight into the knowledge and attitudes of medical students toward loss.
文化因素会影响人们对死亡的态度，而且存在明显的性别差异。先前的研究表明，医学生对死亡的了解有限，并且对此感到不适。此外，几乎没有研究探讨过影响医学生对死亡的知识和态度的因素。
本研究的目的是比较阿拉伯海湾大学和多伦多大学医学生在与失去和悲伤相关的知识和态度方面的文化和性别差异，并对其进行筛查，以确定是否存在复杂悲伤。
2022 年，在这两所大学的医学生中进行了一项横断面研究。调查中的变量包括：参与者的人口统计学特征、宗教信仰、遇到亲人去世的经历、失去亲人后的悲伤、对死亡的态度以及在医学院期间学习如何处理悲伤和死亡的经历。使用了简短的悲伤问卷和死亡态度剖面图修订量表。
研究样本由 168 名医学生组成，其中 74.1%为女性。阿拉伯海湾大学学生的复杂悲伤评分（3.87±2.39）高于多伦多大学学生（2.00±1.93），且两所学校中宗教信仰程度较高的参与者的评分也较高（p<0.05）。阿拉伯海湾大学学生在死亡回避（p=0.003）、接受死亡（p<0.001）和逃避接受死亡（p=0.038）方面的得分明显高于多伦多大学学生。近 75%的多伦多大学学生报告称没有接受过有关悲伤的教育，而阿拉伯海湾大学学生的这一比例为 54%。
阿拉伯海湾大学医学生在复杂悲伤方面的得分较高，这可能主要是由于文化和宗教因素的影响。这两所学校的女性以及宗教信仰程度较高的学生报告称，他们的复杂悲伤程度较高。该研究强调了文化和宗教信仰如何影响医学生对死亡和丧亲的态度。它提供了有关医学生对失去和悲伤的知识和态度的宝贵见解。
