The academic and health system requirements are constantly growing due to the continuous development of this sector. Therefore, it is important to investigate the structural factors that improve performance in the medical system. The aim of our pilot study is to analyze if there are associations or correlations between personality and motivation and the results obtained for the National Residency Exam of Romanian medical graduates. We conducted a prospective pilot study on 179 medical students from George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, Romania between February 2021 and December 2021, who were evaluated by the DECAS, IM, and SPM scale. Our results showed that all the dimensions of personality according to the Big Five Model, which include openness (OR = 0.392, p = 0.01), extraversion (OR = 0.512, p = 0.03), conscientiousness (OR = 3.671, p = 0.004), agreeableness (OR = 2.791, p = 0.07), and emotional stability (OR = 4.863, p = 0.0003), are statistically associated with the result obtained. Motivation also plays an important role in academic achievements, through motivational persistence and motivational involvement which correlates with the conscientiousness dimension and the result obtained. This study confirms that both personality structure and motivation are associated or correlated with the academic results of medical students and represent a starting point for future research.

Adolescence represents a critical developmental stage where diet, gut microorganisms, and mental health are strongly interconnected. The current literature evidences the bidirectional role between dietary habits and psychological well-being, which is mediated by the gut–brain axis. The purpose of this review is to highlight the importance of dietary habits in adolescence period and the impact of different food choices on microbiota and secondary on mental health. Gut microbiota plays a vital role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and metabolites like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The disruption in the composition of microbiota is called dysbiosis, which has been associated with a systemic inflammation state and chronic stress. They contribute to the onset of psychiatric disorders including MDD, anxiety, ADHD, and autism. Diets with a high quantity of sugar and low fiber contribute to alteration of microbiota and poor mental health. Additionally, early-life stress, antibiotic usage, and chronic inflammation may alter bacterial communities, with long-term implications for adolescents mental health. Dietary interventions, including the intake of prebiotics, probiotics, SCFAs, and micronutrients could restore microbial balance and improve psychiatric symptoms. This literature review highlights the critical role of diet and gut microbiota for adolescent mental health and emphasizes the need for integrative strategies to promote psychological resilience through microbiome regulation.

Misophonia is a neurophysiological disorder with behavioral implications, is complex and multifactorial in origin, and is characterized by an atypical and disproportionate emotional response to specific sounds or associated visual stimuli. Triggers include human-generated sounds, mainly sounds related to feeding and breathing processes, and repetitive mechanical sounds. In response to the triggering stimulus, the patient experiences immediate, high-intensity, disproportionate physical and emotional reactions that affect their quality of life and social functioning. The symptoms of misophonia can occur at any age, but onset in childhood or adolescence is most common. Affected children live in a constant state of anxiety, suffer continuous physical and emotional discomfort, and are thus exposed to significant chronic stress. Chronic stress, especially during childhood, has consequences on the main biological systems through the dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, including the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we provide arguments for a positive correlation between misophonic pathology and gastrointestinal symptoms, and this hypothesis may be the starting point for further longitudinal studies that could investigate the correlations between these childhood vulnerabilities caused by misophonia and their effect on the gastrointestinal system. Further research to study this hypothesis is essential to ensure correct and timely diagnosis and optimal psychological and pharmacological support.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the fast progression of modern society, occupational stress has recently reached alarming levels with consequences for doctors’ psychological well-being. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship among emotional stability, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction of medical doctors. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 280 medical doctors from Romania between February 2021 and September 2021, in the period between the third and fourth pandemic waves, who were evaluated by the DECAS, ASSET, and Satisfaction with Life scales. Our results showed that emotional stability is negatively correlated with psychological well-being (r = −0.526, p < 0.000) and positively correlated with life satisfaction (r = 0.319, p < 0.0001). Between psychological well-being and life satisfaction, we found a negative correlation (r = −0.046, p < 0.001). This study shows that there is a correlation among emotional stability, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction, which is why it can be considered that Romanian doctors have generated coping mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Occupational stress amongst doctors has been intensively studied as doctors are exposed to several stress factors daily. The purpose of this study was to investigate if there are associations between personality dimensions and the factors that generate stress at work. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 280 medical doctors from Romania between February 2021 and September 2021 who were evaluated using the DECAS and ASSET Scales. Our results showed that the agreeableness and emotional stability dimensions of personality, according to the Big Five model, were statistically associated with work relationships (A p < 0.0001; ES p = 0.0005), work-life balance (A p = 0.008; ES p = 0.01), overload (A p = 0.01; ES p = 0.001), job security (A p < 0.0001; ES p = 0.002), job control (A p = 0.001; ES p = 0.009), resources and communication (A p = 0.0002; ES p < 0.0001), and job conditions (A p = 0.005; ES p = 0.03). The conscientiousness dimension was statistically associated with job control (p = 0.02). Doctors from different specialties experienced stress differently, with psychiatrists and doctors from preclinical specialties reporting the lowest levels of stress. Internists and surgeons reported higher levels of stress. This study showed that the dimensions of agreeableness and emotional stability were both associated with variables indicative of the level of stress felt at work.

The medical profession requires continuous knowledge acquisition, effective communication skills, an appropriate level of empathy, and a personality profile that can support high-quality patient care. (1) The purpose of this study was to research whether there are associations or correlations between personality dimensions, empathy, and the attitudes of medical students regarding the learning of communication skills. (2) We conducted a pilot study with 267 first- and sixth-year medical students from the George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences, and Technology of Targu Mures as the subjects. The students were evaluated using the DECAS personality inventory, the Romanian communication skills ability scale, and Toronto empathy scale. (3) Our results showed that regarding the level of empathy (p = 0.09) and positive attitudes related to communication skills (p = 0.52), there were no statistically significant differences between first- and sixth-year medical students. On the other hand, in the case of negative attitudes, it was observed that there was a statistical significance (p = 0.0003). It was also observed that there was a positive association between agreeableness and empathy (OR = 6.12, p < 0.0001) and a negative association between emotional stability and empathy (OR = 0.45, p = 0.01). Correlations were also found between positive attitudes related to communication skills with patients and the personality dimensions of conscientiousness (r = 0.21, p = 0.0004) and agreeableness (r = 0.15, p = 0.01), as well as between negative attitudes related to communication skills with patients and the agreeableness dimension (r = −0.23, p = 0.0001) and emotional stability dimension (r = −0.13, p = 0.02). Furthermore, the two proposed models confirmed the influence that personality and empathy have on attitudes towards learning communication skills. (4) The findings of this study show that both the personality structure and the empathy of a student are linked to their attitudes about communication.