Resilience of undergraduate health sciences students during COVID-19: An integrative review

Background: COVID-19 pandemic placed pressure on global health systems, healthcare providers and undergraduate students in health sciences. Students experienced change in the teaching and learning as well as the clinical context resulting in increased stress levels. Resilience assisted students to adapt and develop competencies and effective coping mechanisms. Aim: The purpose of this integrative review is to identify resilience of undergraduate students in health sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting: Online platforms. Methods: An integrative review was conducted with keywords: resilience, undergraduate students, health sciences and COVID-19. Three different searches were conducted for the time frame 2020­2022 on the relevant electronic data bases with full text articles. A total of 1665 records were identified and 49 potentially relevant articles were identified. Screening resulted in 34 articles that were analysed using the John Hopkins critical appraisal criteria. Results: Four themes were identified: attributes of students' resilience, aspects enhancing the development of resilience, aspects hindering the development of resilience and recommendations to cultivate resilience. Conclusion: Resilience is key to withstand the challenges in the global health system. The development of resilience in undergraduate health sciences students should be prioritised to ensure cognitive adaptability, effective coping skills and sufficient support. Contribution: These findings can assist higher educational institutions to improve their undergraduate health science programs to cultivate resilient health care professionals.

Impact of COVID-19 ­ experiences of 5th year medical students at the university of KwaZulu-natal

Background: The global pandemic associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a considerable effect on higher education in South Africa, with online instruction replacing traditional lectures for many students. Medical students were required to vacate their residences in March 2020 but returned to campus in July 2020 to enable them to continue with clinical teaching and learning. The aim of this study was to understand the learning experiences of 5th year medical students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) during 2020. Methods: This was a qualitative study conducted via Zoom in December 2020 with 18 students in four focus group discussions and four semi-structured interviews. These were all facilitated by an independent researcher with experience in qualitative research. All the interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed qualitatively through the identification of codes, categories and themes. Results: The following major themes emerged: A stressful and at times an overwhelming year, mental health issues, developing strategies to cope, and issues that related to teaching and learning. Conclusion: The disruptions caused by COVID-19, the lockdown, a condensed academic programme and uncertainty about their competency resulted in high levels of anxiety and stress among medical students. Participants highlighted strategies that had helped them to cope with the isolation and academic pressures. Given the large volume of work, careful thought needs to be given to what should be taught and how it should be taught to ensure that graduates have the competencies they need to practise.

Strategies to enhance resilience to cope with workplace adversities post-COVID-19 among ICU nurses

Background: It is critical for intensive care unit (ICU) nurses to develop resilient coping strategies to cope with workplace adversities. The coping strategies will mitigate the development of maladaptive psychological disorders prone to working in a stressful environment. Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyse previous literature conducted on strategies that enhance resilience in ICU nurses to cope with workplace adversities beyond the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study was conducted by examining all available global literature in the context of the aim of the study. Method: An integrative literature review was chosen for the study. Purposive sampling method was used to select the relevant databases to answer the review question, namely Google Scholar, EBSCOhost, Medline and Nursing/Academic Edition. The search terms used were 'strategies', 'resilience', 'intensive care unit nurses', 'coping', 'workplace adversities', 'beyond COVID-19' and post 'COVID-19'. Results: Three themes emerged from the study, namely promoting personal attributes, effective relational support and active psychological support. Conclusion: Enhancing resilience among ICU nurses requires both intentional individualised care from the ICU nurses and a systematic approach by nursing management that will meet the psychological needs of ICU nurses when working in a stressful ICU environment.Contribution: The findings of the review have highlighted specific strategies of improving resilience in ICU nurses, which can ultimately create a safe working environment in the ICU.

An investigation on the status of resilience amongst adults with blindness in Addis Ababa

Background: Living with blindness for anyone, whether educated or uneducated, rich or poor, with adequate support or without it is seriously limiting. The quality of life of people with blindness is significantly influenced by the level of resilience they possess. The status of resilience of adults with blindness living in Addis Ababa is not known. Objectives: Against this backdrop, this study was designed to explore the level of resilience of Adults living with blindness. The influence of some demographics on resilience was also examined. Method: Survey design was employed to carry out the intended objectives of this stud. Data was collected from a random sample of 220 adults with blindness living in Addis Ababa using Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Descriptive statistics, t-test and one way ANOVA followed by Scheffe post hoc comparisons were used to analyse the data. Results: The results revealed that the level of resilience of adults with blindness was found below the average score with a mean score of 46.11. Participants' gender, time of onset of blindness, marital status and education seemed to influence resilience of blind adults. Conclusion: Adults having blindness currently living in Addis Ababa are less resilient than needed. Resilience of adults with blindness is differentiated by their demographic characteristics. These people need an integrated effort to enhance their resilience capacity by reducing the barriers and challenges they encounter and promoting protective resources through the different wings of disability related services

Burnout and associated factors in undergraduate medical students at a South African university

Background. Medical students are at risk of burnout owing to various challenges.Objectives. To investigate burnout and associated factors among undergraduate students at a South African medical school.Methods. In this cross-sectional study, findings of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), demographic data and information related to resilience were collected by means of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Associations between burnout subscales and various factors were determined.Results. Five-hundred students (preclinical, n=270; clinical, n=230) completed the questionnaire. CBI mean scores for preclinical and clinical students were 17.9 and 17.4 (personal), 22.3 and 21.9 (work related) and 24.8 (patient related; clinical students only), respectively. High scores on the subscale reflect low levels of burnout in related areas. Male students and students with high self-reported resilience and low stress had significantly lower burnout levels. White preclinical students had lower levels of personal and work-related burnout, and black clinical students had less patient-related burnout.High mean scores in all three burnout subscales indicated low burnout levels among students. Academic and personal stress, as well as perceived poor support from institutional structures, were associated with significantly higher personal and work-related burnout, but not patient-related burnout in clinical students

Evaluation of Psychological Factors in Temporomandibular Joint Pain Dysfunction Syndrome: A report of 3 cases and review of the literature

Objective: This study reports the findings from the psychological assessment of temporomandibular pain dysfunction syndrome (TMJPDS) patients and the treatment outcome following a multidisciplinary team management of this condition. Methods: Three patients suffering from TMJPDS were administered the following psychological assessment questionnaires: Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), Symptom Distress Checklist ­ 90 (SCL - 90), Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Index of self Esteem (ISE) and Chronic Pain Grade (CPG). The completed questionnaires by the patients were analyzed by a Clinical Psychologist. Case Reports: Case 1 was a 32 years old male. Psychological assessment showed that he manifested high peak position to being anxious and high feeling of tension associated with dental treatment. He also showed an increased pain perception and disability caused by TMJPDS. Case 2 was a 61 years old female. Psychological test showed that despite her high level of trait anxiety, the feeling of tension associated with dental treatment was low. She perceived her abnormal pain and disability caused by the disease to be low. Case 3 was a 39 years old female. Psychological assessment revealed that her predisposition to being anxious was high; however, her anxiety related to dental care was low. She also reported a reduced pain perception and disability caused by the disease condition. Conclusion: This study shows that TMJPDS is often associated with psychological problems, such as anxiety, with or without tension related to dental care, abnormal pain perception and psychological disability. A multidisciplinary team approach including dentists and mental health experts in the management of patients suffering from TMJPDS is recommended

School-based yoga intervention increases adolescent resilience: a pilot trial

Background: Youth often experience stressors leading to negative long-term outcomes. Enhancing social-emotional attributes is important to foster resiliency to face these challenges. Yoga may enhance social-emotional resiliency among youth. However, research replicating such results in school-settings is limited. This research details an investigation of the effects of the Kripalu Yoga in the Schools (KYIS) intervention integrated into a physical education class among a racially/ethnically diverse student population. Method: Middle school sixth grade students (n = 23 students; 52% female; mean age = 12.1 years) were either enrolled in physical education class that included KYIS (n = 9), or were enrolled in art and music (control condition; n = 14). To evaluate effects on student characteristics, self-report questionnaires of social-emotional competence and problem behaviour were administered pre- and post-delivery of the curriculum. Results: Students receiving the intervention increased in social-emotional competence over time relative to the control condition. Although promising, results should be interpreted with caution, as students who received the yoga intervention scored significantly lower on social-emotional competence than students in the control group at pre-intervention measurement time point. Conclusions: Yoga may improve social-emotional competence among youth and future research should explore the utility of yoga curricula in school settings

Telling stories and ading scores: measuring resilience in young children affected by maternal HIV and AIDS

"Telling stories and adding scores: Measuring resilience in young children affected by maternal HIV and AIDS""; demonstrates how a concurrent mixed method design assisted cross-cultural comparison and ecological descriptions of resilience in young South African children; as well as validated alternative ways to measure resilience in young children. In a longitudinal randomised control trial; which investigated psychological resilience in mothers and children affected by HIV/AIDS; we combined a qualitative projective story-telling technique (Duss Fable) with quantitative data (Child Behaviour Checklist). The children mostly displayed adaptive resilience-related behaviours; although maladaptive behaviours were present. Participating children use internal (resolve/agency; positive future expectations; emotional intelligence) and external protective resources (material resources; positive institutions) to mediate adaptation. Children's maladaptive behaviours were exacerbated by internal (limited problem-solving skills; negative emotions) and external risk factors (chronic and cumulative adversity)."