<p>Investigating Stress and Sources of Stress Among Female Health Profession Students in a Saudi University</p>

Abstract

Background: Health profession students experience tremendous levels of stress throughout their education. A high level of stress may have a negative effect on the cognitive functioning and learning of students. Objective: The study sought to determine the levels and main sources of stress and its possible correlation with academic performance in the preclinical female health profession. Methods: The cross-sectional design involved the use of self-administered questionnaires. Data were collected from 260 students in health profession programmes in Saudi Arabia. The Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ) was used to collect the data from all second-, third-, and fourth-year undergraduate students. Results: A high level of stress was observed in 42.7% of the students, and a moderate stress level was observed in 41.5% of the students. The major source of stress experienced by students was related to the academic domain (mean= 2.7±0.73), followed by the group activity domain (mean= 2.1±0.91; p< 0.05). Second-year and third-year students were significantly less likely to show high stress levels compared with fourth-year students (AOR= 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.8; p≤ 0.030 and AOR= 0.4; 95% CI: 0.1-0.5; p≤ 0.001, respectively). High stress levels were not found to be associated with students' age and academic performance. Conclusion: Half of the students experienced high and severe levels of stress. Academic and group activity domains were perceived as the major stressors. The year of study was the only significant factor associated with stress levels. Stress among female health profession students should be acknowledged, and efforts should be made to alleviate it. Students should be guided to reduce their stress levels, as this can enhance their quality of life and study experience.

Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies Among Undergraduate Health Science Students of Jimma University Amid the COVID-19 Outbreak: Online Cross-Sectional Survey

“…Numerous worldwide studies were conducted to assess the level of perceived stress among University students before the COVID-19 pandemic (Shah et al, 2010 ; Borjalilu et al, 2015 ; Ahmed and Prashantha, 2018 ; Gazzaz et al, 2018 ; Al-Qahtani and Alsubaie, 2020 ; Karyotaki et al, 2020 ; Tariq et al, 2020 ), but only limited studies were conducted on the same issue during the COVID-19 outbreak. The available studies reported a high perceived stress level for students ranging from 12.6 to 30.2% during the current pandemic (AlAteeq et al, 2020 ; Pedrozo-Pupo et al, 2020 ; Sheroun et al, 2020 ).…”

Nivel de estrés académico en estudiantes de enfermería durante la pandemia de COVID-19

“…El estrés en los estudiantes de enfermería se ha intensificado durante la pandemia de COVID-19 por la naturaleza de su formación, porque deben enfrentarse a las actividades académicas y a la percepción del riesgo de contagio simultáneamente (26). Debido a que, además de que se están formando como profesionales deben interiorizar que pertenecen a una profesión de servicio, de responsabilidad social y de valores éticos, para salvaguardar la salud y la vida de sus conciudadanos (27).…”

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“…Kadapatti and Vijayalaxmi (2012) [12] indicated that high aspiration level, poor study habits, change in medium of instructions and low socioeconomic status were the major stressors of academic stress among pre-university students. Al-Qahtani and Alsubaie (1920) [3] found that academic and group activity domains were perceived as the major stressors among health profession students. Dickson et al, (2020) [6] conducted a study and found that stress comes from academic tests, interpersonal relations, relationship problems, life changes, and career exploration.…”