Impact of Marital Status on Postgraduate Medical Students Research Activities

Abstract

Aim: To analyze the impact of marital status of post graduate medical trainees on research activities at The Children Hospital, Lahore. Methods: A quantitative cross sectional survey was carried out at The Children’s Hospital Lahore, Pakistan. All (105) pediatrics medicine postgraduate trainees were recruited to fill a validated questionnaire, 90 of them returned the completed proforma (response rate of 86%). Data was coded, entered and analyzed by SPSS Results: More than half of the participants (64%) were females. Majority (71%) were between the age of 25- 33years (Mean age 28.22years±2.092), 63% Postgraduate trainees were unmarried (n=57/90). Social/Family commitment issues were faced by 84.8% married postgraduate trainees (p-0.001) whereas lack of motivation was observed a huge hurdle in research activities of 85. 9% unmarried postgraduate trainees (p-0.02). Conclusion: In the current study, unmarried postgraduate trainees are in majority and they experience lack of motivation which decreases their scientific activities whereas social/family constraints are a major hurdle that reduces the research work in married postgraduate trainees.