Perceived Stress of Dental Students

Students' resilience and mental health in the dental curriculum

OBJECTIVES

Dental education is perceived as a source of students' psychological and occupational stress. Resilience has been proposed as a protective factor that may support students' in managing that stress. The objectives of this study were twofold: to map the mental health and well-being content in the curriculum of the Faculty of Dentistry (FoD) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and to investigate factors influencing resilience levels amongst dental students at UBC.

METHODS

The curricular database and website of UBC's FoD were used to gather information on mental health content. A survey with the Connor-Davidson 10-Item Resilience Scale was distributed to dental students at UBC (N = 289). Students' de-identified demographic data were also collected.

RESULTS

Two main mental health and well-being curricular components were identified: one didactic session on stress management and one interactive workshop on resilience. The response rate for the survey was 68.2%. Students who did not receive any mental health content (2020/21 year 1 students) had higher resilience scores (p = .043) when compared to students who received both components (2019/20 year 1 students and 2018/19 year 2 students). The multiple regression analysis highlighted North American/European ethnic origins as a predictor for higher resilience levels (p = .008).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study showed that ethnic origins and major life events, such as the pandemic, influenced resilience. Curricular activities promoting resilience seemed to not necessarily impact students' resilience. Further longitudinal studies are needed to assess the curricular and non-curricular activities influence over dental students' well-being.

Psychological Distress among Undergraduate Dental Students in Saudi Arabia and Its Coping Strategies-A Systematic Review

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the studies that have reported on psychological issues among dental students in Saudi Arabia and to develop coping strategies to overcome these mental health-related issues. The present systematic review is in accordance with the guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The search for the articles was carried out in the electronic databases by four independent researchers. The data search was performed in the electronic search engines like PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, Embase, Cochrane and Saudi Digital Library for scientific research articles published from January 2000 until December 2020. STROBE guidelines were adopted for qualitative analysis of six articles which met the eligibility criteria. The analysis of the literature revealed that most of the studies included were conducted in the past 8 years in different regions of Saudi Arabia. Findings of this systematic review clearly state that dental students in Saudi Arabia experience higher levels of depression, stress and anxiety and stress during their education period, with a higher stress for female students compared to male students. There is an urgent need to introduce interventional programs and preventive strategies to overcome the long-term effects.

COVID-19 and Dental and Dental Hygiene Students' Career Plans

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this study were to investigate whether dental and dental hygiene students' career plans postgraduation were affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and to examine wellness and readiness for clinical practice among students who reported a change in career plans.

METHODS

An anonymous online REDCap survey was developed and emailed to 436 dental and dental hygiene students at a US dental school. The survey consisted of 81 questions that covered demographics, career plans postgraduation, and readiness and wellness measures. An open-ended question assessing how students' career plans have changed during the pandemic was also included.

RESULTS

A total of 252 students completed the survey, of whom 11.5% reported that their plans for future dental practice have changed since the COVID-19 outbreak. Students who reported a change to their career plans had significantly higher mean perceived stress (20.1 vs. 16.3; P = 0.003) and anxiety (9.2 vs. 6.2; P = 0.004) scores and lower mean resilience (18.9 vs. 20.9; P = 0.01) scores than those who reported no change to their career plans. Concerns were raised regarding the limited employment opportunities, long-term stability of the dental profession, and the interruptions to clinical education and licensure examinations consequent to the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

A comprehensive effort inclusive of adeptly designed clinical and curriculum experiences paired with wellness interventions and support tailored to students is needed. These measures need to support trainees across varying years in training and resilience levels to be effective for dental and dental hygiene students as they approach their future career intentions in the dental profession. Additional longitudinal research is needed to assess if change in career intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic corresponds with actual change postpandemic and affects the dental profession.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT

This study explores the potential short-term change in career intentions of dental hygiene and dental students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings can inform workforce planning as well as interventions developed and implemented by academic dental institutions to support student wellness during unexpected and prolonged emergency situations.

Stress and Basic Need Satisfaction of First-Year Healthcare Professional Students

PURPOSE

Transitioning to graduate-level professional school can trigger stressful feelings for many students. The purpose of this study was to determine the stress levels and unmet basic needs of first-year graduate healthcare students during their transition from undergraduate institutions to professional school.

METHODS

The study was conducted at Midwestern University, a private, graduate-level, professional health sciences university located in the Midwest, during the 2018-2019 academic year. The survey was administered to all first-year students within the colleges of dentistry, medicine, optometry, and pharmacy. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) was used to evaluate participants' stress levels and the Basic Need Satisfaction Inventory (BNSI) was used to evaluate unmet basic needs.

RESULTS

Of the 523 prospective participants, 404 survey responses were included (77.2% response rate). Female students showed higher perceived stress and lower basic need satisfaction. Perceived stress levels did not differ by professional program when taking into consideration the differences in gender distribution by program. A regression model indicated that gender and basic need satisfaction were the main predictors of perceived stress for healthcare professional students.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher basic need satisfaction was predictive of lower perceived stress in healthcare professional students. Perceived stress levels remain higher for female students compared to male students.

Psychological impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on dental students: A nationwide study

OBJECTIVES

Public mental health concerns have been raised during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of this study was to assess the psychological impact of the pandemic on dental students in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among dental students from different universities in Saudi Arabia selected using 2-stage cluster sampling. The psychological impact was assessed using the validated Arabic version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Item questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. The Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used as appropriate. A chi-squared test was used to compare the proportions between the sociodemographic data and logistic regression analysis to identify variables associated with the student's responses.

RESULTS

The internal consistency of the scale was excellent (0.954). A total of 697 dental students participated voluntarily in the study; their mean age was 21.76 ± 1.859 years, and 54.7% were female. The majority (96.1%) were single, and 69.4% lived in a household of > 5 persons. Significant differences in mental health outcomes were evident for gender, university, and survey time. Elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were recorded among 60.64%, 37.02%, and 34.92%, respectively, of the students. Females, students who lived alone, and junior students were more likely to experience psychological problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of elevated levels of depression, anxiety and stress among dental students highlights the need for psychological empowerment strategies involving institutional counseling services.

An analysis of resilience in dental students using the Resilience Scale for Adults

OBJECTIVES

Resilience is the ability to bounce back or recover from major life stressors. The aim of this study was to investigate resilience in dental students and how it may or may not vary across demographic characteristics such as gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, self-reported health, and parental educational level.

METHODS

Data were collected from 151 dental students at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry with an anonymous survey that included the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and various demographic variables. Associations between RSA and variables of interest were assessed using linear models.

RESULTS

Dental students demonstrated relatively high levels of resilience. Resilience was significantly associated with gender (with females showing more resilience than males (P = 0.0395)), race (P = 0.0025), overall health (P = 0.0101), and mental health (P < 0.0001). Results from Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) supported a 5-factor solution that explained 82.6% of the variability of resilience in the sample of dental students. The 5 factors were nearly identical to the 5 subscales originally described by the RSA demonstrating validity in this population. Overall health ratings were significantly related to resilience, suggesting that perceived resilience in dental students may protect against negative health outcomes. This study can inform internal and external support systems of dental students as well as institutional programmatic development to better support their educational experiences.