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.

Estresse e depressão em estudantes universitários da saúde / Stress and depression in university health students

RESUMO Objetivo analisar a associação entre o estresse e depressão em estudantes universitários da saúde. Métodos estudo transversal realizado com 792 estudantes universitários da saúde. O instrumento de pesquisa consistiu: caracterização dos estudantes; Inventário de Depressão de Beck versão II e Escala de Estresse Percebido. Empregaram-se análise de frequência absoluta e relativa, média, desvio-padrão, mediana, intervalo interquartil, e estatística analítica. Resultados observou-se associação entre a depressão e o estresse (p<0,001) bem como correlação forte entre eles (r=0,731; p<0,001). Em alto nível de estresse encontraram-se 9,5% dos estudantes e, em moderada a grave intensidade de sintomas comuns de depressão, 23,6% dos mesmos. Conclusão percebeu-se diferença nas médias entre os níveis de depressão e estresse, em que quanto maior o nível de depressão maior a média do estresse. Contribuições para a prática: o estresse está relacionado com a depressão em estudantes universitários da saúde, os quais, após a conclusão da graduação, podem entrar no mercado de trabalho já adoecidos, o que traz implicações para as relações interpessoais, saúde do trabalhador e segurança do paciente. Isso possibilita às instituições de ensino superior uma reflexão acerca da organização de práticas e políticas de intervenções para a redução do estresse e depressão entre os estudantes.

ABSTRACT Objective to analyze the association between stress and depression in university health students. Methods cross-sectional study conducted with 792 university health students. The research instrument consisted of characterization of the students, Beck Depression Inventory version II and the Perceived Stress Scale. Absolute and relative frequency analysis, mean, standard deviation, median, interquartile range, and analytical statistics were used. Results an association between depression and stress was observed (p<0.001) as well as a strong correlation between them (r=0.731; p<0.001). In high level of stress 9.5% of the students were found and in moderate to severe intensity of common symptoms of depression, 23.6% of them. Conclusion a difference was noticed in the averages between the levels of depression and stress, in that the higher the level of depression, the higher the average stress. Contributions to practice: stress is related to depression in university health students, who, after graduation, may enter the labor market already sick, which brings implications for interpersonal relationships, worker health and patient safety. This enables higher education institutions to reflect on the organization of practices and intervention policies for the reduction of stress and depression among students.