abdoalsir/rotation-stress-immunity-oiu-2025

Cross-sectional study of clinical rotation stress, psychological distress (DASS-21), and perceived immune health (ISQ-7, IFR) among N=106 medical students at Omdurman Islamic University, Sudan (2025); multiple regression using IBM SPSS v26. # Impact of Clinical Rotation Stress on Psychological Wellbeing and Immune Health — OIU ## Omdurman, Sudan – 2025 **Study type:** Cross-sectional descriptive study **Degree level:** MBBS **Institution:** Faculty of Medicine, Omdurman Islamic University **Sample size:** N = 106 clinical-year medical students (4th, 5th, and 6th year/internship) **Data analyst:** Abdulrahman Sirelkhatim --- ## Background Clinical rotations represent the most demanding phase of undergraduate medical training. Students transition from theoretical learning to direct patient care responsibilities, navigating long hours, emotional burden, high-stakes assessment, and clinical uncertainty simultaneously. A substantial body of international literature documents elevated rates of burnout, anxiety, depression, and perceived immune dysfunction during this period. From a psychoneuroimmunological perspective, chronic psychological stress dysregulates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, elevates cortisol, suppresses T-cell and natural killer cell activity, and increases susceptibility to infections and latent viral reactivation. These pathways are particularly relevant for medical students who are simultaneously under maximum academic stress and maximally exposed to hospital-acquired pathogens. In Sudan, clinical rotation stress is compounded by the broader consequences of the April 2023 armed conflict: displaced training centers, understaffed hospitals, disrupted supervisory structures, and complete absence of institutional mental health support services. Despite these intensified pressures, no published study had previously examined the combined impact of clinical rotation stress on both psychological wellbeing and perceived immune health among Sudanese medical students in this context. This study fills that gap, providing the first psychoneuroimmunological profile of this population. ## Objectives - Evaluate the prevalence and severity of depression, anxiety, and stress sy …