Effect of Problem Solving Training on Quality of Life and Responsibility of Medical Students

Extended Abstract
Background

In recent years, the concept of Quality of Life (QOL) and responsibility has been an important indicator for assessing individual health, making decisions, judging the general health of society, and finding the main problems in various aspects of people's live in medical research. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a comprehensive definition of QOL (1998). QOL is a person's understanding of his/her current situation according to the culture and value system in which s/he lives and the relationship of these perceptions with the goals, expectations, standards, and priorities of the person. People need to be responsible for having better feelings about life, and the main reason for neglecting academic, professional, and social duties is due to irresponsibility or escaping from responsibility and shrugging off its burden. It can be said that the background to proper academic performance and social activities is having a sense of individual independence. In the dictionary, responsibility is defined as “to take responsibility for a task and to accept its consequences, to be accountable, to be obligated, and to commit to someone or something”. On the other hand, problem-solving is a key concept that, in proportion to the changes in the current world, considers the special competencies and responsibilities of individuals in the face of a change. This study aimed to investigate the effect of problem-solving training on the QOL and responsibility of paramedical students at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUOMS), Iran.

Methods

This quasi-experimental study had a pre-test-post-test design. The statistical population consisted of all paramedical students (490 students) at TUOMS in the academic year 2020-2021 (Persian calendar: 1399-1400). The available sample was randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n = 20) and control (n = 20). The Quality of Life Questionnaire (SF-36) and Gauff Responsibility Questionnaire were used to collect data. Two 2-hour sessions of training per week were held for the intervention group for 14 weeks. Before data analysis, the normality and homogeneity of variance and underlying assumptions of covariance analysis were tested and confirmed. Data analysis was performed by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21 with a significance level of 0.05.

Results

The first hypothesis was as follows: “problem-solving training has an effect on the QOL of paramedical students at TUOMS”. The summary of ANCOVA results for QOL-post-test scores [F (1,39) = 1052.192, P <0.001, ƞ2 = 0.966] confirmed this research hypothesis. The results showed that the problem-solving training increased the QOL scores of students, as revealed in the post-test of the experimental group. The second hypothesis was as follows: “problem-solving training has an effect on the level of responsibility of paramedical students at TUOMS”. The results of ANCOVA for responsibility-post-test scores [F (1,39) = 126.111, P <0.001, ƞ2 = 0.773] confirmed this hypothesis as well. According to the results, the interventions increased the students' responsibility scores in the post-test of the intervention group. This means that the trainings increased the students' responsibility scores. We observed a significant difference between the two groups in the dependent variable, which indicates the effectiveness of the intervention. Hypothesis 1 dealt with the effect of teaching problem-solving approach on the QOL of students. The findings showed that the problem-solving approach had a significant effect on the variables in the intervention group, and significantly increased the QOL in these students. Hypothesis 2 dealt with the effect of teaching problem-solving approach on increasing the responsibility of students. The findings revealed that training problem-solving skills positively affected the students' responsibility. In a general, training problem-solving skills can provide the conditions for a person to act in social situations with adaptive responses to peers. Items that are needed to provide a solution include an accurate description of the problem, a description of the limiting or negative factors involved in the problem, a description of the constructive and positive factors in the problem, and an accurate description of the scope of the problem. Other similar factors include the length of existing problems, how they affect other people, and a detailed description of the consequences; meanwhile, a list of solutions to the problems, the grading system of each solution, and ultimately the decision-making process can be provided. In training problem-solving skills, regular cognitive and behavioral skills training can help individuals to identify the most effective solutions and deal effectively with daily and future problems.

Conclusion

Our results showed that problem-solving training had a significant effect on QOL and responsibility of students through reducing mental illnesses in them. Accordingly, university officials should use the problem-solving training approach to improve the QOL of students and increase responsibility in them.