Ansiedad y rendimiento académico en los estudiantes de medicina, odontología y enfermería de la Universidad Católica de Cuenca campus Azogues, 2024

Abstract

Background: Anxiety is a common issue among university students, particularly in highly demanding programs such as Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing. The academic and clinical demands they face can increase anxiety levels and affect academic performance. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between anxiety and academic performance among Medical, Dentistry, and Nursing students at the Catholic University of Cuenca, Azogues campus, during 2024, considering sociodemographic variables. Methodology: Quantitative, non-experimental, observational, cross-sectional study. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale was applied, and the academic grade point average was used as a measure of performance. The sample included 324 students from the three programs. Results: Medical students recorded the highest levels of severe anxiety (40.7%), followed by Dentistry (35.2%) and Nursing (24.1%). No statistically significant differences were found in academic performance among the three programs. A slight influence of anxiety on Nursing students’ performance was observed, but not in Medicine or Dentistry. Conclusions: Anxiety was more frequent in Medicine, suggesting that academic and clinical programs may contribute to its occurrence. These findings highlight the need to implement psychological support strategies tailored to each program. Although no significant association between anxiety and performance was found in Medicine and Dentistry, a slight relationship was identified in Nursing, warranting further research to deepen the understanding of its impact on well-being. Keywords: anxiety, academic performance, mental health, university students