Evaluating The Effect of Supportive Interventions on the Level of Anxiety Experienced After Encountering a Cadaver in Medical Students

 Anatomical sciences, especially gross anatomy, is one of the basic courses offered to medical students. However, students' first contact with a fixed corpse (cadaver) can cause high anxiety. This study aimed to compare the effect of supportive interventions on the level of anxiety caused by exposure to cadaver in medical students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the first semester of 2018-2019.

 This semi-experimental study used a control group and selected the samples by the convenient method. First, students with no experience dealing with cadaver were randomly divided into five groups and completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety scales. Then, they were divided into five equal groups (n=31), receiving supportive interventions, including educational, attitudinal, instructional, and religious, and one control group (group 5) with no intervention. The anxiety level measurement form was completed again by each person after exposure to the cadaver and one month after the exposure.

 A total of 155 medical students aged 18.10±2.14 years participated in this study. The level of anxiety recorded after exposure to a cadaver in the control group showed a significant increase compared to before exposure. However, receiving attitudinal and religious support could significantly reduce anxiety. However, this value did not show a significant change in the group receiving instructional support and increased dramatically in the group receiving educational support. In addition, the level of anxiety recorded before encountering a cadaver in all groups was higher for female students than male students.

Based on the results, the anxiety level of medical students could be seriously lessened by using attitude and religious approaches.