Does osteopathic training affect student health?
Item
- Title
- Does osteopathic training affect student health?
- Author(s)
- Hutcheson, C
- Abstract
- Osteopaths have been interested in the unity of the mind and body since the birth of osteopathy. The influence of stress on health has become increasingly mportant within conventional medicine with the influence of the biopsychosocial model and the field of psychoneuroimmunology. Studies on medical students have shown that healing rates are decreased amongst students under long-term stress and there have been studies on osteopathic students and stress and osteopathic students and low back pain. A search revealed no studies of stress, musculoskeletal pain and stress related illness within osteopathic students. Aim: To establish whether osteopathic training effects student health among students of the European School of Osteopathy. Method: Data was collected by means of a piloted questionnaire, sent to all students of all years of the European School of Osteopathy so that a comparison of the years could be undertaken. 77% (187) students of the undergraduate population validly completed and returned questionnaires. Specific stressful life events outside of academic life to isolate a sample with no identified emotional stress in their backgrounds. Health measures included WHO-5 general well-being index and other single question measures to determine subjective opinions of physical and emotional health and extent of painful musculoskeletal conditions and stress related conditions within the sample. Positive and negative lifestyle factors were identified to consider their effect within the population studies. Results: this study found statistically significant correlations between year of study and subjective and objective health measurements, as well as painful musculoskeletal conditions. No significant correlations were found with the identified stress related conditions. Positive and negative behaviours were found to predict the effects on these measurements of health. Conclusion: The study of osteopathy is a physically and emotionally stressful rite of passage that students associate with deterioration in their physical and emotional health. This study is able to recommend lifestyle factors students may adopt to minimize the impact on their health.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2011
- Date Submitted
- 22.1.2013 16:23:35
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 15274
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Student health; Osteopathic training; Survey into.
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Hutcheson, C, “Does osteopathic training affect student health?”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 2, 2024, https://www.osteopathicresearch.com/s/orw/item/791