Abstract
Background: Medical students are exposed to increased stress due to factors such as academic pressure, high expectations from parents, peer pressure, reduced leisure time, and ambitions of higher studies. Students in professional courses are expected to have skills for self-directed learning. It is the process of learning, in which the student frames his own learning goals, who chooses appropriate strategies for learning. The present study aims to look for level of perceived stress among medical students, readiness for self-directed learning and to correlate readiness for self-directed learning with level of perceived stress.

Aims and Objectives: The aims if this study were to assess perceived stress and readiness for self-directed learning in medical students and to correlate stress levels with readiness for self-directed learning.

Materials and Methods: The study was done by online survey using Google forms which were shared among medical students. Two hundred students participated in this study. The online survey consisted of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to assess the level of stress, Fisher’s Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) to assess readiness for self-directed learning.

Results: Among the 200 students, who participated in the study, about 127 (63.7%) had PSS >28. The mean PSS was 31.6 (SD 6.79) and mean SDLRS was 145.22 (SD 18.5). Between SDLRS and PSS, there was a significant negative correlation (r = −0.417), suggesting inverse relationship. Scatter plot showed presence of linear relationship between SDLRS and PSS scores. Regression analysis showed significant association between SDLRS and PSS with P < 0.001.

Conclusion: Significant proportion of medical students was found to have moderate perceived stress. Students with higher SDL readiness had significantly lower perceived stress.

Key words: Perceived Stress; Self-Directed Learning; Medical Education; Medical Students