Background: The Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) course in India is demanding as far as student’s efforts are concerned. There are certain aspects of the training process that lead to unintended negative consequences on student’s physical and emotional health. The study was conducted with the objective to determine the source of stress in first and second year students of Medical undergraduates and to determine the coping strategies adapted by these students in managing their stress.

Methods:  Medical students of SKIMS Medical College Srinagar were invited to participate in the study and a predesigned, pretested questionnaire was distributed among these students. The questionnaire was designed to collect information from the students regarding sources of stress and coping strategies.

Results: Among the 176 respondents, majority had academic sources of stress mainly academic workload 89.2%, more in female students (94.9%) (c²=4.891, df= 1, p value=0.030), followed by long hours of academic work, 77.8%, again more in female students (88.6%), (c²=9.633, df= 1, p value=0.002) and frequency of examinations 61.9% of the students (c² =0.296, df= 1, p value=0.638). The coping strategy adapted by medical students for stress, mainly include emotional support from family and friends74.4%, acceptance 74.4% and by listening to music 62.5%.

Conclusion: The academic stressors were the main sources of stress and females were comparatively more stressed than their male and also had less coping strategies.