Effect of professionalization on health locus of control among dental students

Abstract

Context: Dental students go through the process of professionalization and imbibe attitude, knowledge, and working skills essential to practice dentistry. Aim: To assess the effect of different stages of professionalization on health locus of control among undergraduate students of dental colleges in Bengaluru city. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 511 undergraduate students of the selected four dental colleges in Bengaluru, India. Materials and Methods: Nonprobabilistic sampling was adopted and the students who were present on the day of the study were included in the study. The 18-item Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scale consisting of three 6-item subscales (Internal, Chance, and Powerful Others) was administered to the respondents. Statistical Analysis: Analysis of variance was used to find the overall variance and post hoc to determine the intergroup variance. P value of Results: A comparison of the mean scores for the three subscales from first Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS), final BDS, and interns showed that the mean internal score increased in the order of first BDS (25.9), final BDS (26.3), and interns (27.19); the scores varied significantly between first BDS and interns (P = 0.023). The overall variance was also found to be statistically significant (P = 0.04). Conclusion: Internal health locus of controls was very strong in the study population, and the mean internal scores increased from first BDS till internship.