Investigating the Relationship between Attitude towards Conflict Management and Conflict Management Styles in Medical Students

Introduction: Understanding the relationship between medical students' attitudes towards conflict management and their dominant conflict management styles is crucial for improving their ability to effectively handle challenging situations. This study aimed to determine the relationship between medical students' attitudes towards conflict management and their conflict management styles. Method: This was a descriptive, analytical study involving 244 first-year general medicine students from Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The Conflict Management Attitude Questionnaire (CMAQ) and the Conflict Management Styles Questionnaire (DUTCH) were used to collect data. Pearson's correlation coefficient and independent t-tests were employed for data analysis. Results: The results showed that students predominantly used problem-solving (15.80 ± 2.18) and compromising (15.00 ± 2.23) styles. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the average score of attitudes towards conflict management and the average scores of the compromising and problem-solving styles (P = 0.014, r = 0.162; P = 0.000, r = 0.287, respectively). Additionally, a significant negative correlation was found between the average score of attitudes towards conflict management and the average score of the avoiding style (P = 0.010, r = -0.170). The t-test results indicated a significant difference in the competing style between male and female students (P = 0.038). Conclusion: Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of clinical education is the first step towards improving the quality of medical education. Then the faculty development programs planners should design, implement and evaluate educational development programs for clinical faculty to improve their educational skills in the clinical education environment.