LAUSR

Many have noted that factors in the educational environment are the primary drivers of distress and adverse mental health outcomes in medical students (Dyrbye et al. 2005; Dyrbye 2009, O’Reilly et al. 2014). Having to master massive amounts of information, facing a relentless series of examinations, and intense academic competition appear to be the primary sources of stress and distress in the preclinical phase (Slavin et al. 2014; Hill et al. 2018), while a less-than-hospitable clinical learning environment and intense competition for residency positions appear to be the major drivers in the clinical phase (Slavin and Chibnall 2017; Salari 2019). Yet, as the research paper by Healy, et al. ‘Medical Students, Mental Health, and the Role of Resilience: a cross-sectional study’ demonstrates (Healy et al. 2022), the environment is not the only factor associated with poor mental health; medical student resilience appears to have a significant impact as well. While not proving causation, the authors. found moderately strong negative correlations between resilience and depression, anxiety, and burnout. An important implication of these findings is that assisting students in enhancing their resilience has the potential to improve their mental health. This resilience may in turn, not only benefit them in medical school, but as Handoyo et al. suggest, may help them in their future practice as clinicians (Handoyo et al. 2022). The question then is how best to help students develop greater resilience. In this editorial, the author will: 1: review individual factors that may contribute to lower levels of resilience; 2: consider potential approaches, both individual and environmental, that can promote resilience and lead to improvements in student mental health; and 3: describe potential barriers to receptivity to resilience training by students and propose ways in which they can be overcome.