Sources Of Stress In Students Research Articles

Exploring the Relationship Between Stress and Satisfaction During Clinical Training Among Respiratory Therapy Students: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey.

Although clinical training is an important component of healthcare education, it is nevertheless a significant source of stress for students. There is limited information on stress and satisfaction perceived by clinical-level undergraduate students studying respiratory therapy (RT) in Saudi Arabia. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design with an online questionnaire was employed to conduct this study. Data collection occurred during the academic year 2022-2023 among RT students throughout Saudi Arabia. Patricians responded to demographic questions, the Students Stress Scale and Students Professional Satisfaction questionnaires. Descriptive, inferential, and correlational statistics were used to analyze the collected responses. A total of 1001 undergraduate RT students completed the online survey. RT students and interns had an overall moderate to high stress level (mean (SD); 3.55 (0.49)), while satisfaction was perceived as mild to moderate (mean (SD): 2.56 (0.65)). In addition, 38% of the study participants have considered quitting the RT program. Female students showed higher stress levels in the following domains: inadequate knowledge and training, adverse and embarrassing experiences, clinical supervision, patients' pain, and Education-reality conflict (p<0.005) compared to male students. Additionally, students who considered quitting the RT program revealed higher stress levels in all domains (p<0.005). There were negative correlations between satisfaction and stress domains: inadequate knowledge and training (r = -0.32; p = 0.001), adverse and embarrassing experience (r = -0.31; p = 0.025), close supervision (r = -0.24; p = 0.001), insufficient hospital resources (r = -0.30; p 0.002), patients' pain and suffering (r = 0.28; p = 0.04), and education - reality conflict (r = -0.30; p = 0.001). During clinical training, respiratory therapy students experience moderate to high-stress levels and low satisfaction. There need to be tailored interventions to reduce stress and intention to quit and increase students' clinical experience satisfaction.

Gambaran Strategi Koping Mahasiswa Keperawatan Yang Kembali Kuliah Tatap Muka Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Background&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;: During the current COVID-19 pandemic, causing an epidemiological and psychological crisis that creates concerns about the mental health of young people around the world which is a source of stress for students to carry out face-to-face learning directly, coping strategies are one of the efforts that can reduce stressors for students. The purpose of this study was to describe the coping strategies of nursing students who returned to face-to-face lectures during the COVID-19 pandemic. &lt;strong&gt;Methods&lt;/strong&gt;: This research is a quantitative research that uses a descriptive design with a sample of 166 respondents, using a total sampling technique. The instrument used in this study is the Brief-Coping Behavior Questionnaire (Brief-COPE) for coping strategies. &lt;strong&gt;Results&lt;/strong&gt;: The results of this study indicate that more students use problem focused coping strategies with an average of 5.77. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusion&lt;/strong&gt;: This study suggests to students to use coping strategies in order to overcome stressors in students when conducting face-to-face learning directly or clinical practice in hospitals so that students can adapt so as not to interfere with student concentration and during the COVID-19 pandemic&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keywords: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;COVID-19; coping strategies; student&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Hardiness, Social Support, and Academic Stress of Students Working on Bachelor’s Thesis during the Pandemic

One of the mandatory requirements for obtaining a bachelor's degree is completing a bachelor's thesis. The current COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, creates several pressures that cause students to fall behind on their thesis completion. This study aimed to determine how hardiness and social support affect students' ability to cope with academic stress while writing their bachelor’s thesis during a pandemic. A 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was used to collect the data. The total research sample consisted of 207 students from a public university in Indonesia working on their thesis during the pandemic. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data. This study found that hardiness and social support all significantly negatively impact academic stress. The greater the students' hardiness and social support, the less academic stress they will experience. The findings also show that the primary source of stress for students writing their thesis is a lack of academic support, which has implications for the need to design a suitable support system mechanism so that thesis writing can be completed on time.

Cross-Canada Release of the Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index (PSSI): Protocol for a Cross-sectional, Repeated Measures Study.

BackgroundThe prevalence of mental health–related problems, including stress, psychological distress, and symptoms of mental illnesses, continues to increase among Canadian postsecondary student populations. Excessive stress in this population has been linked to a number of negative academic and health outcomes. Despite attempts to improve mental health at postsecondary institutions, a persistent gap exists in the evaluation of the specific sources of stress for students within the postsecondary setting.ObjectiveThe purpose of this paper is to report the study protocol for a cross-Canada, multisite launch of the Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index (PSSI), which will engage postsecondary institutions across the country as partners and facilitate improved measurement of the sources of student stress, in addition to contributing toward improved tailoring of upstream mental health services and support.MethodsCreated in collaboration with students, the PSSI is a validated 46-item tool assessing stressors across five domains: academics, learning environment, campus culture, interpersonal, and personal stressors. The tool is designed to be applicable to students at all years, levels, and areas of study. Data will be collected longitudinally at multiple time points over the course of each academic year.ResultsWe recruited 15 postsecondary institutions across Canada for the first year, inviting students to participate in an online survey including questions concerning sociodemographic characteristics, stress, mental health, and resiliency. Analyses, including appropriate data visualization, will be conducted to determine the impact of specific stressors on mental health, linking responses over time to allow for the observation of changes in trends.ConclusionsThe PSSI is an intuitive and evidence-informed tool that can aid postsecondary institutions in evaluating the sources of student stress on their campuses. This multisite project will make a substantial contribution to the current literature regarding postsecondary student stress and allow institutions across the country to improve the tailoring of upstream mental health services in order to directly support the unique needs of their student body. Opportunities for knowledge translation and exchange are discussed.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/27713

HUBUNGAN STRES DENGAN INDEKS MASSA TUBUH PADA SISWA KELAS 3 SMK PENERBANGAN NASIONAL BATAM

Stress is one of the responses of the body and mind's balance to change. One of the age groups susceptible to stress is adolescents. In general academic problems are the main source of stress for students. Stress if left unmanaged, can cause severe psychological and metabolic consequences. Psychological stress is often associated with increased food consumption, especially in consuming high-fat foods. Stress can also change overall food intake, such as lack or excess according to the severity of stress Observational analytic research with cross sectional approach that done in Batam National Flight Vocational School in 2019. The sampling method is total sampling with a sample of 39 students in grade 3. The collected data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-smirnov test with a significance level of α = 0.05The results of this study found that the stress that dominates in this study is the mild stress category of 20 respondents (51.3%) in 3ird grade students of Batam National Aviation Vocational School. Whereas the most dominating body mass index results in this study were the Overweight-Obesity category of 21 respondents (53.8%) in the 3rd grade students of Batam National Aviation Vocational School. The Kolmogorov-smirnov test results obtained a value (p = 0.001), H 0 was rejected and H a was accepted . b ased on this research result, researcher conclude that there is a significant correlation between the correlation of stress with bodyy mass index in class 3 student of Batam National Flight Vocational School in 2019 .

Sources of Stress and Coping Strategies Among Undergraduate Nursing Students Across All Years.

BackgroundUndergraduate nursing students experience high levels of stress during their programs. The literature on their stress is extensive, however, what is less well-known are the specific sources of stresses for students in different years of study.PurposeThe aim of this study is to understand nursing students’ sources of stress and coping strategies in each year of study.MethodA transversal descriptive qualitative study was used. A sample of 26 undergraduate students attending a university in Montreal, Canada were recruited and participated in a semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsThe sources of stress differed according to year of study and related significantly to the specific novelty of that year. For first-year students, their stress was related to their academic courses. High clinical performance expectations and a lack of time for their personal lives was a main source of stress for second-year students. The prospect of graduating and transitioning into the work environment caused stress for students in their final year. Students across all years of study utilized similar coping strategies.ConclusionThe findings suggest that interventions can be developed to address the sources of stress experienced by nursing students in each year of study.

Coping Styles and Sources of Stress of Undergraduate Health Science Students: An Integrative Review

Background and aim: Tertiary education provides many personal and social benefits. However, students, particularly those from professional and health science disciplines are known to face significantly greater stress throughout their undergraduate degrees. In this integrative review sources of stress for students and the strategies they use to cope with the stress are explored. Method: Various databases were searched using common key phrases such as “stressors among undergraduate health science students” and “coping mechanisms utilised by undergraduate health science students”. Thirty-three articles were selected based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The content in the articles were analysed to identify themes. Results: Academic stress was the primary source of stress for health science students. Other sources of stress included interpersonal interactions and clinical training. Students primarily used problem-focused strategies to cope with stress. Other strategies included avoidance and the use of social support networks. Conclusion: Health science students experience stress from academic tasks, interpersonal stress and stresses emanating from clinical training. They utilize problem-focused coping strategies, as well as avoidance and seeking social support when faced with stressful situations. Students would benefit from regular screening for stress-related conditions, and interventions to teach them more adaptive ways to deal with stress.

Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Undergraduate Dietetics Students

ObjectiveTo understand the mental health and stressors of current nutrition and dietetics students. DesignCross-sectional survey. ParticipantsA total of 611 current Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) students in the US were recruited through DPD program directors. MethodsElectronic survey included measures of anxiety, stress, depression, and specific stressors. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and qualitative thematic analysis. ResultsMost students experienced normal levels of depression, anxiety, and stress compared with the general population. A subset experienced some level of depression (30%), anxiety (40%), and stress (27%). Significant sources of stress were postgraduation plans (including internships), managing time, dietetics courses, finances, and self-imposed expectations. Conclusions and ImplicationsThe identification of a subset of DPD students experiencing symptoms of mental health challenges and recognition that there are common stressors among DPD students may increase awareness among educators, guide development of course policies, and highlight the importance of mitigating major sources of stress for students.

The Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index: Proof of concept and implications for use

Objective This study demonstrates the utility of the Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index (PSSI), an instrument designed to identify and evaluate the sources of student stress. The PSSI is comprised of 46 stressors, rated by severity and frequency, across five domains: academics, learning environment, campus culture, interpersonal, and personal. Participants: Pilot testing of the tool was conducted among n = 535 post-secondary students enrolled at an Ontario university. Methods: Mean severity and frequency ratings were calculated for each stressor on the instrument. Results were plotted, and stratified by sex. T-tests for differences in means across sexes were calculated for each stressor. Results: Female students in this sample consistently rated nearly all stressors on the instrument as more severe than their male counterparts. Females also reported higher frequency ratings on average, indicating that they worried about stressors more often than did males. Domain-specific stressors are discussed. Conclusions: The PSSI can provide post-secondary institutions with the ability to improve the targeting of their mental health promotion and mental illness prevention efforts.

Screening Higher Secondary School Adolescents for Factors Contributing to Stress in Pune City

Introduction: Adolescence is a very formative time. The individual goes through a phase of changing from a child to an adult.Mental health conditions account for almost 16% of the global burden of disease and injury in individuals belonging in the age group of 10-19 years and half of all these conditions start by 14 years of age. Various factors such as hormonal changes, academic performance, participation in extracurricular activities, family background, socio economic status, peer pressure, etc., can contribute to the level of stress perceived by the adolescent. Materials and Methodology: A total of 385 higher secondary school students (males and females) who signed the assent were included. The 3SQ was given to higher secondary school students (n=385) to assess the possible sources of stress. 3SQ represents 44 possible sources of stress in students identified from the literature divided in domains like academic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, group social, learning and teaching and teacher related stressors. Descriptive analysis of the data obtained was done. Result: Out of the 385 students, 29.13% reported for mild stress due to academic stressors and almost 7.21% reported for severe stress. 38.26% and 11.9% reported for mild and severe stress respectively due to interpersonal related stressors. Conclusion: Thus, the authors conclude that majority of the students reported to perceive mild to severe stress due to academic related stressors and interpersonal related stressors.They also perceived stress due to other factors but comparatively in a lesser amount. How to cite this article:Shah MJ, Mitra S, Dabadghav R. Screening Higher Secondary School Adolescents for Factors Contributing to Stress in Pune City. Ind J Youth Adol Health 2019; 6(3): 43-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.2880.201914

Psychometric assessment of the Post- Secondary Student Stressors Index (PSSI)

BackgroundPrevious research has linked excessive stress among post-secondary students to poor academic performance and poor mental health. Despite attempts to ameliorate mental health challenges at post-secondary institutions, there exists a gap in the evaluation of the specific sources of stress for students within the post-secondary setting.MethodsThe goal of this study was to develop a new instrument to better assess the sources of post-secondary student stress. Over the course of two years, the Post-Secondary Student Stressors Index (PSSI) was created in collaboration with post-secondary students as co-developers and subject matter experts. In this study, we used a combination of individual cognitive interviews (n = 11), an online consensus survey modeled after a traditional Delphi method (n = 65), and an online pre- (n = 535) and post-test (n = 350) survey to psychometrically evaluate the PSSI using samples of students from Ontario, Canada. We collected four types of evidence for validity, including: content evidence, response processes evidence, internal structure evidence, and relations to other variables. The test-retest reliability of the instrument was also evaluated.ResultsThe PSSI demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Content validation and response processes evidence was derived from active student involvement throughout the development and refinement of the tool. Exploratory factor analysis suggested that the structure of the PSSI reflects the internal structure of an index, rather than a scale, as expected. Test-retest reliability of the instrument was comparable to existing, established instruments. Finally, the PSSI demonstrated good relationships with like measures of stress, distress, and resilience, in the hypothesized directions.ConclusionsThe PSSI is a 46-item inventory that will allow post-secondary institutions to pinpoint the most severe and frequently occurring stressors on their campus. This knowledge will facilitate appropriate targeting of priority areas, and help institutions to better align their mental health promotion and mental illness prevention programming with the needs of their campus.

Perceived stress, coping strategies, and emotional intelligence: A cross-sectional study of university students in helping disciplines

BackgroundPost-secondary students in training for helping profession disciplines, including nursing, may be at elevated risk for high stress levels. Stress among students has been linked with adverse physical and psychological health. In addition to the common stressors associated with post-secondary education, sources of stress for students in the helping professions include balancing academic and clinical demands. Previous research indicates perceived stress levels are correlated with emotional intelligence (EI) and with the coping strategies employed by students. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine (1) the relationship between EI and perceived stress, and (2) the potential mediating role of coping responses. DesignA cross-sectional survey design was employed. SettingParticipants were recruited from a public university in the United States. ParticipantsA sample of 203 undergraduate and graduate students majoring in psychology, nursing, and social work was recruited. MethodParticipants were recruited on-campus and through campus online resources and completed an online survey or a paper-and-pencil version of the survey. Descriptive statistics and mediation analyses were used to test the study hypotheses. ResultsHigher EI was associated with lower perceived stress, and this association was partially mediated by both adaptive and maladaptive coping responses. Higher EI was associated with greater use of adaptive coping and lower use of maladaptive coping, and these, in turn, were negatively and positively (respectively) associated with perceived stress. ConclusionThe findings suggest that interventions aimed at increasing emotional intelligence may help to reduce perceived stress for students in the helping disciplines.

Assessment of Stress, Anxiety and Depression in Female Students Living in Dormitories of Qom University of Medical Sciences

Abstract Background: Due to their particular circumstances during this critical period of life, female students living in dormitories of stu- dents often face with situations against which experience many emotional reactions. Since the mental health of society largely depends on theirmental health and psychological damage in this important part of female can be increased, early determination of depression and anxiety as well as identification of the amount and sources of stress in students can prevent complications and psychological consequences. Objectives: The present aimed to determine the assessment of depression, anxiety, and stress among female students living in dormitories of QomUniversity of Medical Sciences Methods: This is a cross-sectional that was performed in 2015 on 300 students of Qom University of Medical Sciences who were selected using quota sampling. Data collection was performed using the DASS Scale (depression, anxiety, stress scale) included 42 items related to the domains of depression, anxiety and stress. Data were explored via percentage,mean and standard deviation. Statistical data were analyzed with analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient using SPSS software. Results: The mean age of students was 21.64  3.50 years that most of whom were undergraduate and single students and mean of educational score was 16.17  1.15. The results of this showed that 24.9% of students suffered from stress, 21.6% from de- pression, and 20.2% had anxiety. There was no statistically significant correlation between in the field of study with two areas of depression (P = 0.003) and stress (P = 0.01) and there was also a significant relationship between “economy of families” and depression (P = 0.04). Meanwhile, there was a meaningful relationship between “family relationship status of students” and depression (P = 0.0001) and anxiety (P = 0.05). Conclusions: The results indicated that stress, anxiety, and depressionwere prevalent in female students living in dormitories and factors such as interest in the field of education, socioeconomic status of families, and family relationship status of students were associated to stress, anxiety, and depression in students. Therefore, in addition to paying attention to students’ mental condition and creating a peaceful environment, effective coping strategies should be taught to students.

Examining stress: an investigation of stress, mood and exercise in medical students.

Stress is an event that threatens homoeostasis and thus causes physiological and behavioural responses to reinstate equilibrium. Excessive and/or chronic stress can be psychologically and physiologically detrimental. Examinations can represent a significant source of stress for students. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is the core endocrine stress system. Investigations into the HPA response to examinations have yielded inconsistent results. The aim of this study is to further explore the relationship between examination stress, HPA axis activity, mood, sleep and exercise in students undergoing a naturalistic examination period stressor. In total, 16 medical students participated. Students completed self-reported stress, anxiety, mood, sleep and physical activity questionnaires, and provided saliva samples during an examination-free period and an examination period 1 month later. The cortisol awakening response, representative of HPA activity, was determined from saliva samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anxiety levels increased (p=0.04) and mood decreased (p=0.05) during the examination period. There was concomitant decease in physical activity levels (p=0.02). There was no significant increase in HPA activity during the examination period (p=0.29). Sleep quality did not significantly worsen (p=0.55) during the examination period. Examination periods are associated with increased anxiety levels, lower mood and decreased physical activity. Future studies incorporating examination results and cognitive function may help to identify potential protective interventional strategies, while optimising performance.

Rocking the boat — nursing students' stories of moral courage: A qualitative descriptive study

AimThis paper profiles a qualitative study that examined how undergraduate nursing students demonstrate moral courage when confronted with clinical situations that negatively impact the quality of patient care and/or patient experience and the factors that encouraged or inhibited their willingness to speak up when they identified poor practice. BackgroundClinical placements are an essential component of nursing programmes. However, placements are a reported source of stress for students, with many witnessing, or feeling compelled to participate in, poor practice. In these instances, nursing students require the moral courage to raise concerns in order to protect patient safety and dignity. MethodsThis was a qualitative descriptive study. Nine nursing students and one nursing graduate from one semi-metropolitan university in Australia were interviewed and the data were thematically analysed. FindingsFour key themes emerged: (1) patient advocate identity, which had two sub-themes of knowing one's own moral code and previous life experiences; (2) consequences to the patient and to the participant; (3) the impact of key individuals; and (4) picking your battles. ConclusionThis study demonstrates the importance of undergraduate nursing students identifying as patient advocates, the multitude of consequences students face when questioning the practice of a registered nurse, and the influence supervising nurses and clinical facilitators have on a student's decisions to intervene to protect patient safety. Further research is required to examine the factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic, that influence nursing students' moral courage and their decisions to intervene when poor practice is witnessed.

A Comparative Study of Stressors in Medical and Nursing Students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and how they Correlate with Their Academic Progress: A Cross-Sectional Study

Education at the university level is obviously stressful. The general aim of this paper is to study the correlation between stressful areas and students' academic progression at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. This is a cross-sectional research study. Three hundred and fifteen nursing and medical students were chosen by stratified random sampling. This data was collected via a questionnaire, which included demographics, stressors at educational, clinical and personal areas and supportive sources while the subjects cope with stress. To determine validity of the questionnaire, content and constructive validity were used. The reliability of the questionnaire was estimated by using Cranach's in educational (93%), clinical (85%) and personal (90%) areas. The statistical method which was applied in this study included inferential and descriptive analysis. Results included that most students presented mild stress in educational, clinical and personal areas, although it was more noticeable in clinical area. The level of stress decreased in educational and clinical areas with increasing age and it reached the height in these areas in the subjects under the age of 20 (P= 0.003). There was more stress in females than males in educational and clinical areas (P= 0.003). There was more stress in the students of nursing than students of medicine in clinical area (P= 0.04). The level of stress in the subjects who were satisfied with their academic course was lower than subjects who were dissatisfied in clinical area. (p=0.004). There was no significant correlation between academic progression and level of stress at educational, personal and clinical areas. Supportive source were mostly parents, the performance of religious duties and the means to find peace, friends and classmates, brothers and sisters, counsellors, and relatives. The results also indicated that some of the students did not seek help during stress and remained speechless. Considering the fact that most of the subjects presented stress in clinical area, the sources of stress in students, particularly stress caused by educational and clinical areas, must be evaluated carefully. On the other hand, it is necessary to teach students how to reduce and cope with stress. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s6p388

The Moderating Role of Positive and Negative Affect on the Relationship between Perceived Social Support and Stress in College Students

AbstractDuring college years, which are known as a stressful time, students may often face stress personally, socially, academically, economically, and so forth in various areas of life. One of the important sources that students use to cope with stress is social support. Students can cope with stress easier via the support they receive from their friends or family. While social support is seen as a protective mechanism against stress, some psychological factors may have increasing or decreasing effects on this support. Positive and negative affects, two opposing indicators of individual psychological adjustment, may function differently in this context. In the current study, the moderator roles of positive and negative affect on the relationship between perceived social support and stress in college students was investigated. The sample consisted of 479 undergraduate students from the faculty of education in a public university. Data was collected using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. In data analysis, hierarchical multiple regression analysis based on the steps of Baron and Kenny's (1986) moderating model was used. The research findings indicate that negative affect has a moderator role in the relationship between perceived social support and stress, whereas positive affect does not have a similar function. Accordingly, as negative affect increases, the positive effect of social support on perceived stress decreases.Keywords: Social support * Stress * Positive affect * Negative affect * College studentsStress, a force that many people face and try to cope with in the normal flow of life, is also an inevitable and natural part of the daily life of university students who face the peculiar difficulties of college life. College years are a time when students are responsible for their own health, school life, economic conditions and management of their own lives (Cress & Lampman, 2007; Darling, McWey, Howard, & Olmstead, 2007). This period is accepted as a time in which various difficulties are faced from academic work to uncertainty of what the future holds, from interpersonal relations to romantic relations, from self-problems to familial issues (Chao, 2012). Research shows that 75% of college students perceive themselves as moderately stressed and 12% as highly stressed (Pierceall & Keim, 2007). Concerns about academic achievement, uncertainty about their future, economic hardship, family related problems, difficulties in relations with the opposite sex, and interpersonal relations may also be sources of stress for students (Brougham, Zail, Mendoza, & Miller, 2009; Chao, 2012; Darling et al., 2007; Otrar, Eksi, Dilmac, & Sirin, 2002; Ross, Niebling, & Heckert, 1999). Moreover, students also may face stress related to daily life such as health issues, conflicts with faculty, public speech, conflicts with roommates, increasing study loads, and changes in sleeping and eating habits (Darling et al., 2007; Dusselier, Dunn, Wang, Shelley, & Whalen, 2005; Ross et al., 1999).The stress students may face during university life due to personal, social, academic, economic, and other hardships is a concept related to various adjustment variables. Previous research has shown that stress in college students is related to negative indicators of mental health such as depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide (Dusselier et al., 2005; Eisenbarth, 2012; Jou & Fukada, 2002; Otrar et al., 2002; Pengilly & Dowd, 2000; Wilbum & Smith, 2005) and positive indicators such as happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, optimism, and hardiness (Cress & Lampman, 2007; Eisenbarth, 2012; Extremera, Duran, & Rey, 2009; Krypel & Henderson-King, 2010; Matheny et al., 2002; Pengilly & Dowd, 2000; Schiffrin & Nelson, 2010; Wilbum & Smith, 2005). As can be seen, the stress college students often face and try to cope with due to the challenging experiences of being a young adult is an important variable of mental health in regard to psychological adjustment. …

Stress and Coping Strategies among Premedical and Undergraduate Basic Science Medical Students in a Caribbean Medical School

Introduction : Sources of stress and coping strategies have not been previously studied at Xavier University School of Medicine, Aruba. Objective: Hence the present study was carried out to obtain information about sources of stress and coping strategies among different groups of students and note differences, if any, among subgroups of respondents. Method : Sources of student stress and coping strategies were studied using the medical student stressor questionnaire (MSSQ) and the brief COPE. The present study was carried out among premedical and basic science undergraduate medical students during June 2014. Demographic characteristics like gender, semester of study, age and nationality were noted. Mean scores of different groups of stressors and coping strategies were calculated and compared among various subgroups of respondents using appropriate statistical tests (p<0.05). Result : Ninety-two of the 108 students (85.2%) participated. Cronbach’s alpha values for various categories of stressor scores were high. The major categories of stressors were academic related and group activity related. Certain stress scores were higher among female respondents and undergraduate medical (MD) students especially those studying in the fourth and fifth semester. The main coping strategies employed were planning, active coping, positive reframing, and acceptance. There were differences in use of certain coping strategies among subgroups of respondents. Conclusion : Academic related stressors were high especially among fourth and fifth semester students. Longitudinal studies following students over their basic science years are required. Studies among students doing their clinical rotations in the United States are required. Studies among students in other Caribbean medical schools are needed.

Stress among medical Saudi students at College of Medicine, King Faisal University.

Sources of student stress can be academic pressures, social or personal issues and medical students have to face the challenge of rigorous curriculum and also have to learn how to deal with emotionally difficult experiences. Determination of the prevalence of stress and to identify the risk factors of stress among Saudi medical students at Faculty of Medicine, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. A survey study design was conducted among medical students at Faculty of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Ahsaa Governorate, Eastern Province from February-May, 2013. Both male and female students were invited to participate in our study. The total number of students was 650 Saudi medical students, out of them 244 medical students were participated in the current study. All participants were provided a self administered questionnaire. A likert scale with 3 points for responses was used. Questionnaires were given to participants 2 month before end-semester examinations, to minimize the extra stress symptoms A score of stress was calculated. Prevalence of stress was 53% among Saudi students. Gender has no role in stress among medical students (p > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed the most important risk factors of stress, having places for recreation at the University showed a relationship with stress among medical students with a p value = 0.000, there is a statistically significant relationship between stress and having optimal place for studying outside the university p = 0.001, while, comparing number of sleeping hours with stress, we could not find a statistically significant relationship among medical students, p = 0.744. Medical students who had close friends to share with them their stresses and concerns showed a highly statistically significant relationship between stressed and unstressed students p = 0.001. Medical students reported high levels of stress. The most frequently occurring stressors among the students were related to academic and psychosocial domains. The associations between stressed cases and gender, occurrence of academic and psychosocial stressors need to be further tested by prospective studies.

Encouraging an environment to nurture lifelong learning: An Asian experience

Introduction: Within an Asian context, this study examines the effect of changing from traditional course grades to a distinction/pass/fail (D/P/F) grading system on medical student self-perceived stress levels and on student exam performance.Methods: At the end of the 2010–2011 academic year, the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) was administered to the cohort of students finishing their first year of medical studies. For the academic year 2011–2012, the grading system was changed to D/P/F for the first year of medical school. The PSS-10 was also administered to the subsequent cohort of first-year medical students at the same point in the academic year as previous. Qualitative comments were collected for both cohorts.Results: Stress as measured by the PSS-10 was significantly lower in the cohort that went through the year with the D/P/F grading system in place. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses showed a shift in sources of student stress away from peer-competition. There were no significant differences in overall exam performance.Discussion: Within an Asian context, switching to a D/P/F grading system can alleviate stress and peer competition without compromising knowledge. This may help foster a “learning orientation” rather than an “exam orientation,” and contribute to inculcating lifelong learning skills.