Abstract:

Objective To investigate the current situation of medical students' sense of meaning in life，analyze the relevant influencing factors，provide scientific data support for medical educators，and help medical students establish correct values. Methods From April to September 2023，a convenience sampling method was used to survey 933 undergraduate medical students at Inner Mongolia Medical University using a general information questionnaire，the sense of meaning in life scale，the Chinese version of the death attitude portrayal scale（revised），the death anxiety scale，and the death education needs scale，and the data were analyzed. Results The total score of the sense of meaning in life among 933 medical students was （91.93±15.41）points，of which 84 were in the high group，accounting for 9.10%；415 people in the middle group，accounting for 44.48%；434 people in the low group，accounting for 46.51%. The total score of death fear was （22.70±5.91）points，indicating that death attitude was mainly based on death fear，and death attitude was positively correlated with medical students' sense of meaning in life. The score for death anxiety was （45.22±8.17）points，and the score for individual items was （3.01±0.54）points，indicating a high level of death anxiety. The total score of death education need was （41.85±7.16）points，and the average score for each item was （4.19±0.72）points，indicating a high demand for death education. The self-assessment of family well-being，attitude toward death，death anxiety，and future employment situation were significantly correlated with medical students' sense of meaning in life（all P<0.05）. Conclusion Totally 933 medical students have a low sense of meaning in life and cannot view death correctly. Factors affecting their sense of meaning in life include family，individual，and social levels，among which parental care and support，self-assessment of family well-being，the degree of liking of the students' specialty，whether they are class members or not，the frequency of participating in club activities，the view of the future employment prospects，interpersonal relationships，the attitude towards death，and the anxiety about death are the main influencing factors. Colleges and universities need to pay more attention to medical students' sense of meaning in life，and actively carry out guidance courses related to the sense of meaning in life to help students establish a positive and optimistic attitude toward life.

Key words: Medical students, Sense of meaning in life, Influencing factors