Impact of Religiosity on Subjective Life Satisfaction and Perceived Academic Stress in Undergraduate Pharmacy Students

Health, Hope, and Harmony: A Systematic Review of the Determinants of Happiness across Cultures and Countries

The aim of this study was to review the literature on what constitutes happiness across cultures and countries to advance scholarly knowledge on the happiness construct. A systematic review was conducted to examine the determinants of happiness in samples across cultures and countries. Five different databases, including APA PsycNet, EBSCO-Academic, EBSCO-Business, Project MUSE, and Google Scholar, grey literature, and in-text references from relevant review articles were used. A total of 155 articles were included in the review, encompassing studies from over 100 countries and 44 cultures. Myriad determinants of happiness were found that were placed into three broad categories labeled Health, Hope, and Harmony. The predominant happiness determinants were mental, emotional, and physical well-being, a purposeful holistic work-life balance, nurturing social relationships, caring for self and others, and being in harmony with one's culture, traditions, community, religion, and environment. This study engendered an "Integrated Model of the Determinants of Happiness" to provide a universally applicable conceptualization of the happiness construct. By examining studies on determinants of happiness across the globe in the past 90 years, this review uncovered that happiness constitutes multiple determinants that fall under three major categories: 'Health', 'Hope', and 'Harmony'.

Perceived Academic Stress, Causes, and Coping Strategies Among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

Academic stress is a common problem among medical students, and the COVID-19 health crisis lockdown further worsened it. High academic stress has a negative impact on students learning and overall performance.

OBJECTIVE

To assess perceived academic stress, causes, and coping strategies among undergraduate pharmacy students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Khartoum. Data were collected from randomly selected participants using three validated self-administered questionnaires; perceived stress scale, study habits inventory, and mental health inventory. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, and descriptive statistics and chi-square were employed.

RESULTS

The response rate in our study was 99.6% (251/252). About 87% of the participants were females. The majority of participants (92%) experience academic stress, with a mean score (24.99 ± 5.159), the level of academic stress ranging from low (4.3%), moderate (73.2%), to high (22.5%). Approximately 80% of the percipients reported academic stress during all exam times with a mean score (25.33 ± 4.976). The level of academic stress was significantly associated with participants' gender (P-value: 0.042), and living conditions (P-value: 0.001). The most common factors that were significantly associated with academic stress were difficulty in remembering all that is studied (66.7%, P=0.006) and worrying about the exams (54.1%, P=0.011). Moreover, the most frequent strategies used to cope with academic stress were praying (84.4%) and maintaining some control over the situation (61.9%).

CONCLUSION

The study revealed a high prevalence of academic stress among percipients. Academic counseling, monitoring of mental status, and implementation of stress reduction programs are highly recommended.

Caffeine consumption, intoxication, and stress among female university students: a cross-sectional study

Background

University students use caffeine to cope with stress in spite of its adverse effects. The purpose of this study is to explore caffeine consumption among university students in Saudi Arabia, as well as its correlation with stress and caffeine intoxication. This cross-sectional study examined a convenience sample of 547 students at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). A self-administrated questionnaire was used to assess caffeine consumption in milligrams per day, stress was assessed by the perceived stress scale (PSS), and caffeine intoxication was assessed using the DSM-5 criteria.

Results

The mean total caffeine consumption was 424.69 ± 385.31 mg/day. High levels of caffeine consumption were found among students of non-health colleges and students who were undiagnosed with psychiatric disorders (p values <0.040 and 0.027, respectively). A significant positive correlation was found between caffeine consumption and perceived stress (p<0.045). Only 13.26% of all participants fulfilled the DSM-5 criteria for caffeine use disorder. The majority of participants showed moderate and high stress levels (69.9% and 18.7%).

Conclusion

This study revealed high caffeine consumption and perceived stress levels among female undergraduate students with a significant positive association between them. The results emphasize the importance of educational campaigns about caffeine consumption and intoxication. They also encourage the development of stress management programs. Longitudinal studies need to be designed for evidence-based intervention.