Exploring personality in Australian dentistry students: Implications for coping with a challenging degree

Aim:To map psychological problems amongst undergraduate dental students with a focus on different time points in clinical work in seven Eastern European and Scandinavian countries. Materials and Methods:A total of 1063 3rd-and 5th-year dental students (response rate 70%) participated in this pilot study and completed a pre-tested, structured questionnaire, which collected information on sociodemographic characteristics and self-reported psychological problems. Data were analysed by bivariate and multivariate methods. Results:The majority of participants were female and were younger than male participants. Most participants, though more females than males, agreed that the clinical work of dentistry was psychologically difficult. Almost half of participants felt nervous before working with patients (N = 506, 48%) and experienced a lot of stress whilst working with patients (N = 488, 46%); almost one-third (N = 287, 27%) felt anxious/worried after working with patients. Being a 3rd-and 4th-year student (vs 5th-year) reduced the odds for anxiety after working with patients; being a 3rd-year student (vs 5th-year) increased the odds for stress whilst working with patients.Studying in countries other than Norway reduced the odds for stress whilst working with patients. Less than good self-perceived health, presence of psychological health complaints before starting dental education, female gender and lack of physical activity increased the odds for psychological problems. Conclusion:A high number of undergraduate dental students reported psychological problems in connection with clinical work. It is unlikely that "one size fits all"; therefore, further qualitative investigations on stressors in clinical learning environments should be done in order to design tailor-made supportive strategies. K E Y W O R D Sclinical learning environment, dental education, dental students, professional hazards, psychological health, stress

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Self‐reported psychological problems amongst undergraduate dental students: A pilot study in seven European countries

Stangvaltaite‐Mouhat

Pūrienė

Chałas

et al. 2020

“…Desire to be in a profession or calling is correlated with work‐related well‐being, career commitment and job satisfaction . In a similar study on dental students' personality, those whose first career preference was dentistry had higher levels of self‐directedness which is indicative of a strong sense of responsibility and goal orientation . Australian literature found high school students seeking professional occupations with notable reputations and income were less confident about making career‐related decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…25 In a similar study on dental students' personality, those whose first career preference was dentistry had higher levels of self-directedness which is indicative of a strong sense of responsibility and goal orientation. 27 Australian literature found high school students seeking professional occupations with notable reputations and income were less confident about making career-related decisions. These students were also found to be less 'career mature' or the ability to consider personal skills and interest for an occupation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression, anxiety and stress in a cohort of Australian dentistry students

Stormon

Ford

Kisely

et al. 2019

Self Cite

Introduction Dentistry students face a challenging academic and clinical curriculum that can result in depression and anxiety. While studies usually report sources of stress for dentistry students, there is less information on levels of stress. This study used the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21), to report perceived levels of depression, anxiety and stress in a cohort of Australian undergraduate dentistry students. Methods Students enrolled in years 1‐4 of the Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours) program at The University of Queensland were invited to complete the DASS‐21 using an online questionnaire. Students completed the same questionnaire 1 year later. Results At baseline, the mean DASS‐21 scores for this cohort (n = 179; females = 56%) were in the normal range for depression (4.69, SD 3.87) and stress (5.50, SD 3.65), and mild range for anxiety (4.25, SD 3.21). Overall, 24% (n = 42), 44% (n = 78) and 11% (n = 20) of students had moderate or above levels of depression, anxiety and stress, respectively. At 1‐year follow‐up, DASS‐21 scores were not significantly different. Conclusions Dental students have higher levels of depression, anxiety or stress than the general population, indicating they may be at risk for greater psychological distress. The information from this study should guide curriculum and learning environment design, as well as interventions to support students through this challenging degree.

“…This study builds on a series of cross‐sectional publications investigating dentistry student's well‐being. This study represents a longitudinal follow‐up of students’ levels of depression, anxiety and stress over time, whilst controlling for the influence of personality and perceptions of the learning environment in dentistry 6,27,28 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the well‐being of dentistry students

Stormon

Sexton

Ford

et al. 2021

Self Cite

Introduction The transactional model of stress is a framework describing the process for coping with stressful events as a relationship between the individual person and environment. This study aimed to investigate the associations between personality, learning environment and experiences of mental health for a cohort of Australian dentistry students. Materials and methods Students were invited in 2017 to complete an online questionnaire including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21), The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) and Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (TCIR‐140). Students were followed‐up one year later, and generalised estimating equations were used. Results A total of 219 (response 73.5%) students participated in the study. Two personality profiles of dentistry students were identified. Group 1 were significantly higher in the traits persistence, self‐directedness, cooperativeness and reward dependence, whereas Group 2 were significantly higher in harm avoidance. Students with Group 2 personality had a 3.12 (CI:1.72‐5.65) increased odds of depression compared to Group 1 students. Compared to students with positive perceptions of the learning environment, students with negative perceptions had increased odds of stress (3.48, CI: 1.85‐6.53), depression (2.71, CI: 1.57‐ 4.65) and anxiety (2.59, CI: 1.56‐4.28). Conclusion Students with personalities high in levels of self‐directedness, cooperativeness and persistence and low in harm avoidance, as found in Group 1, demonstrate high levels of general well‐being. Positive perceptions of the dentistry learning environment were found to be an important influence on students stress. This study highlighted a number of factors important to student well‐being and provides direction for further investigation of interventions aimed at enhancing student well‐being.