Influence of gender on undergraduate performance in psychiatry at Ibadan, Nigeria

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the influence of gender on undergraduate performance in psychiatry among final year medical students at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. METHODS: Results in all parts of the examination in psychiatry for the 2001 graduating class were obtained. In addition, performance scores were obtained for entrance examinations to medical school, preclinical subjects (anatomy, physiology and biochemistry) and clinical subjects (paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine and surgery). The mean marks according to gender, with 95% intervals, were calculated and tested for significance. RESULTS: A total of 234 students (160 men and 74 women) took the examinations in psychiatry. Women performed better than men in both the multiple choice questions (MCQ) examination (P = 0.0044) and the clinical assessment (P= 0.0000063). The women were significantly younger than the men (P = 0-0000007) and performance in both parts of the examination decreased with increasing age. There were no differences between the genders in entrance examination scores or preclinical scores but there were significant differences between the genders in performance in clinical subjects such as paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology and internal medicine. CONCLUSION: Women performed better than men in all parts of the psychiatry examination, with the difference being more marked in the clinical aspect. A superior performance on the part of women was noted in all clinical subjects. However, where an examination did not involve verbal interaction, there was no difference in performance between the genders. A direct correlation between increasing age and decreasing performance in examinations was also seen.