Sources of stress and psychological disturbance among dental students in the West Indies
Journal of dental education
; 66(9): 1021-1030, Sep. 2002. tab
Article
in English
| MedCarib
| ID: med-17764
Responsible library:
TT5
Localization: TT5; W1, JO614
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate sources of stress and psychological disturbance in dental students across the five years of undergraduate study at a dental school in Trinidad. Eighty-three percent of students completed a modified version of the Dental Environment Stress questionnaire (DES) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). On a scale ranging from 0 (not stressful) to 5 (highly stressful), overall mean DES scores for each of the five years of study were 1.58, 1.83, 2.65, 2.39, and 2.61 respectively, suggesting that levels of stress increase over the five years with a noticeable spike at the transition between the preclinical and clinical phases. Significant differences were found between specific stressors across the five years of study. Seven specific stressors and the stressor domains of Academic work and Clinical factors were more stressful for female students (t-test p < 0.05). The Global Severity Index of the BSI indicated that 54.8 percent of males and 44.2 percent of females were in the clinical range indicating significant psychological disturbance. Psychological disturbance was significantly associated with stress levels for male students (Spearmans rank correlation r = 0.56; p < 0.001), but not generally for female students. Further development is needed of dental educational programs that enhance students' psychosocial well-being.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MedCarib
Main subject:
Social Environment
/
Stress, Psychological
/
Sex Factors
/
Surveys and Questionnaires
/
Analysis of Variance
/
Statistics, Nonparametric
Aspects:
Social determinants of health
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Caribbean
/
English Caribbean
/
Trinidad and Tobago
Language:
English
Journal:
Journal of dental education
Year:
2002
Document type:
Article
Institution/Affiliation country:
The University of the West Indies/Trinidad and Tobago