Extracurricular Factors Influence Perceived Stress in a Large Cohort of Colombian Dental Students

Factors associated with burnout syndrome in Colombian dental specialists

OBJECTIVE

To establish the factors associated with burnout syndrome in dental specialists working in the city of Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in which the validated version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) questionnaire was applied to 117 dental specialists. The variables analysed were the scores obtained in the three dimensions of the instrument - sociodemographic and job-related characteristics, professional environment, and habits. Spearman's correlation coefficient and the Mann Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis U test were used in the bivariate analysis, and a logistic regression was performed in the multivariate analysis. A value of p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Each participant accepted their inclusion in the study after the Informed Consent process was done.

RESULTS

The average age was 44.0 ± 7.8 years, and 57.3% were women. It was observed that 3.4%, 4.3% and 4.3% of respondents scored highly in emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and lack of personal achievement, respectively. Cigarette smoking presented a direct association with the dimensions of depersonalisation (p = 0.031) and lack of personal achievement (p = 0.025). On the other hand, having completed the postgraduate degree 10 years or more ago showed a negative association in these two dimensions (p = 0.049 and p = 0.045, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that burnout syndrome is not a frequent problem in dental specialists who work in Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area. However, it is important to keep in mind that a relationship was observed between the syndrome and smoking, and the years after graduating in the specialty.

The association of smartphone addiction, sleep quality and perceived stress amongst Jordanian dental students

INTRODUCTION

Smartphone addiction has been associated with sleeping problems and psychological anxiety. However, little is known about the association of smartphone addiction, sleep quality and perceived stress amongst university students particularly in dentistry. This study investigated the association of these variables amongst dental students in a Jordanian dental faculty.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A sample of 420 undergraduate dental students enrolled for academic year 2017/2018 at the Jordan University of Science and Technology participated in this study. They were given a set of self-administered questionnaires which consisted of questions regarding demographic information, characteristics of smartphone use, assessment of smartphone addiction, sleep quality as well as perceived stress.

RESULTS

The mean Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) score amongst Jordanian dental students was high (109.9 ± 23.8). The correlation between SAS and Global Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score was significant (r = 0.137, P =0.005) indicating that the higher the smartphone addiction level, the poorer the quality of sleep. Similarly, a significant correlation was found between Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) score and Global PSQI score (r = 0.348, P < 0.001) which implied that students who have higher perceived stress experienced poorer sleep quality. Year 3 students (clinical year), smartphone addiction and perceived stress were determinants of sleep quality.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental students who have high levels of smartphone addiction or high perceived stress levels experienced poor sleep quality. Identifying smartphone addicts amongst students as well as stressors are imperative measures to allow timely assistance and support in the form of educational campaigns, counselling, psychotherapy and stress management.

Factors Associated With Burnout Syndrome in Colombian Dental Specialists

OBJECTIVE

To establish the factors associated with burnout syndrome in dental specialists working in the city of Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in which the validated version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) questionnaire was applied to 117 dental specialists. The variables analysed were the scores obtained in the three dimensions of the instrument - sociodemographic and job-related characteristics, professional environment, and habits. Spearman's correlation coefficient and the Mann Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis U test were used in the bivariate analysis, and a logistic regression was performed in the multivariate analysis. A value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Each participant accepted their inclusion in the study after the Informed Consent process was done.

RESULTS

The average age was 44.0±7.8 years, and 57.3% were women. It was observed that 3.4%, 4.3% and 4.3% of respondents scored highly in emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and lack of personal achievement, respectively. Cigarette smoking presented a direct association with the dimensions of depersonalisation (p=0.031) and lack of personal achievement (p=0.025). On the other hand, having completed the postgraduate degree 10 years or more ago showed a negative association in these two dimensions (p=0.049 and p=0.045, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that burnout syndrome is not a frequent problem in dental specialists who work in Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area. However, it is important to keep in mind that a relationship was observed between the syndrome and smoking, and the years after graduating in the specialty.

Perceived Stress and Associated Factors in Russian Medical and Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in North-West Russia

The aim was to assess perceived stress (PS) and factors associated with PS in Russian medical and dental students. A total of 406 medical and 283 dental students aged 18–25 years that attended the Northern State Medical University in Arkhangelsk, North-West Russia participated in this cross-sectional study. A structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic and socioeconomic factors, oral health (OH) behavior, and self-reported OH. All students were clinically examined to assess dental caries, oral hygiene, and gingiva. PS was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale 10 (PSS-10). Of the students, 26.0%, 69.1%, and 4.9% reported low, moderate, and high PS, respectively. Female sex (b = 2.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38–3.18), dental faculty (b = 1.74, 95% CI: 0.94–2.54), low subjective socioeconomic status (SES) (b = 1.71, 95% CI: 0.91–2.51), and irregular dental visits (b = 1.65, 95% CI: 0.72–2.58) were associated with higher PSS-10 score. These factors were assumed to be clinical meaningful, given that minimal clinically important difference of PSS-10 fell between 2.19 and 2.66 points. The majority of the medical and dental students reported moderate PS. Based on statistical significance and clinical meaningfulness, socio-demographic factors (sex, faculty), subjective SES, and OH behavior (regularity of dental visits) were associated with PS.

Emotional intelligence and perceived stress of Australian pre-registration healthcare students: A multi-disciplinary cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Healthcare students can experience high levels of stress. Emotional intelligence can moderate stress and increase wellbeing however there has been no prior research on the relationship between emotional intelligence and stress in Australian healthcare students.

OBJECTIVES

To measure emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived stress (PS) in final year healthcare students (nursing, pharmacy and dentistry), and to explore the relationships between EI, PS and discipline.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A cross sectional survey of pre-registration healthcare students at a metropolitan university in Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

203 pre-registration final year healthcare students (n = 58 nursing; n = 112 pharmacy; n = 34 dentistry).

METHODS

Emotional Intelligence was measured using the GENOS Emotional Intelligence Inventory (Concise Version) and stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).

RESULTS

A significant negative correlation was found between EI and PS in nursing and pharmacy students. No difference was found in EI across disciplines. Mean EI scores were lower than normative means. PS was significantly higher than the normative mean for pharmacy and dentistry students and higher than nursing students.

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional intelligence can have a protective effect against stress for healthcare students and can be increased via targeted educational interventions. To support student wellbeing there is a clear need for pre-registration healthcare curricula to include educational components on strengthening EI.

A longitudinal study on stress sources perceived by Chilean dental students

Introducción. La percepción de los estudiantes universitarios sobre el estrés académico es fundamental, ya que proporciona información valiosa sobre la eficiencia y aceptabilidad de los métodos educativos.Objetivo. Evaluar las diferencias en los factores de estrés percibidos por los estudiantes de primer año de odontología durante el primer y segundo semestre según género.Materiales y método. Estudio descriptivo exploratorio, longitudinal y no experimental. En mayo y octubre de 2016 se aplicó la versión en español del Dental Environment Stressors (DES), adaptado y validado para estudiantes de odontología en la Universidad San Sebastián (Concepción, Chile). La muestra consistió en 83 estudiantes de primer año. La comparación de las variables en estudio (stress y sus dimensiones) entre los dos períodos comparados, en general y considerando los géneros, se realizaron mediante la prueba t-Student, previa estimación de existencia o no de igualdad de varianzas entre los grupos mediante la prueba F de Fisher.Resultados. En la segunda medición, la dimensión “Formación clínica” en mujeres fue el único componente que mostró diferencias significativas con valores superiores de la media.Conclusión. Existe una percepción de estrés para todos los ítems del cuestionario DES; las mujeres tuvieron una mayor puntuación en la dimensión “Formación clínica”.

Stressors and Protective Factors among Veterinary Students in New Zealand

A study was undertaken to investigate the stressors faced by veterinary students and the protective factors against those stressors. The study was conducted as a workshop during which students collaborated with their peers through an iterative process to identify personal and external factors that contributed to or protected against stress as a veterinary student, and then to suggest strategies that would protect their mental health and well-being. Workload and assessment were the most commonly reported stressors. Students reported a variety of effective coping strategies and avoidance behaviors, although most of the suggested solutions revolved around organizational change within the university. Students also recognized that their own perspectives, traits, and behavior could enhance their student experience or increase their perceived levels of stress. While it is important that educators monitor student feedback about the program and make changes when required, students must recognize that stress is an expected component of life and develop effective coping strategies. They should develop a balanced view of the positive and negative aspects of the student experience and, ultimately, of working as a veterinary professional.

Burnout prevalence and correlates amongst Colombian dental students: the STRESSCODE study

INTRODUCTION

Accumulating evidence amongst dental students indicates an alarming prevalence of stress, which can precipitate the development of burnout--a state of mental or physical exhaustion and disengagement. Understanding individual and educational correlates of burnout is necessary for its prevention. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of burnout amongst a large sample of Colombian dental undergraduates and investigate its psychosocial and educational correlates.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Survey data collected from 5647 students participating in the Stress in Colombian Dental Education study were used for this analysis. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS). Covariates included participants' socio-demographic characteristics and perceived stress, as well as educational environment factors. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate methods based on multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression modelling were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Seven per cent of the students surveyed met the criteria for burnout. The prevalence of burnout was higher amongst upper classes, older and married students, those who reported not having passed all required courses and not having dentistry as their first career choice, as well as students in public institutions and those with large class sizes. Moreover, students' perceived stress in the domains of workload and self-efficacy was significantly and positively associated with burnout.

CONCLUSIONS

Both personal and educational environment characteristics were found to be associated with burnout. Irrespective of these factors, students' perceived stress with regard to workload and self-efficacy was a strong influence on burnout and its alleviation may be a promising avenue to prevent psychological morbidity.

Sources and Severity of Perceived Stress Among Iranian Medical Students

BACKGROUND

Studying medicine is perceived to be stressful, and a high level of stress may have a negative effect on cognitive functioning and mental health of the students.

OBJECTIVES

In this study, we assessed perceived stress and its severity, sources and determinants.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the perceived stress and its severity, sources and demographic variables in 341 (136 males, 205 females) randomly selected medical students of Tehran university of medical sciences, Iran, in October 2013. A self-administered valid and reliable questionnaire with a possible range of scores from 0 to 56 was used to collect the data. Stress sources were determined using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The overall perceived stress mean was 32.02 (SD = 5.08). Eighty-three percent of the medical students perceived stress. Students in clinical phase perceived more stress than basic sciences ones [OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.809 - 4.032]. Logistic regression analysis showed demographic (including gender and residential status), psychosocial and academic factors and the phase of study as sources of stress.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study show that most of the medical students declared perceived stress. So, a change in medical education environment and empowering students to effectively cope with the perceived stress sources and their families to support their children is needed.

Symptoms and health complaints and their association with perceived stressors among students at nine Libyan universities

University students are exposed to many stressors. We assessed the associations between two stressors (educational related and general overall), socio-demographic characteristics (five variables), health behaviours/lifestyle factors (six variables), as well as religiosity and quality of life as independent variables, with self-reported symptoms/health complaints as dependent variables (eight health complaints). A sample of 2100 undergraduate students from nine institutions (six universities, three colleges) located in seven cities in Libya completed a general health questionnaire. The most prevalent symptoms were headaches, depressive mood, difficulties to concentrate and sleep disorder/insomnia that have been reported by 50%-60% of the students. The majority of students (62%) reported having had three or more symptoms sometimes or very often in the last 12 months. There was a positive association between perceived stressors and health symptoms, which remained significant after adjustment for gender and many other relevant factors for headache (OR 1.52; 95% CI 1.15-2.02), depressive mood (OR 2.20; 95% CI 1.64-2.94) and sleep disorder/ insomnia (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.19-2.03). Other factors independently associated with most health symptoms were female gender and poor self-perceived health. Stress management programmes and a reduction of educational related stressors might help to prevent stress-related symptoms and health complaints in this student population.