STUDENT SUPPORT PROGRAM TO REDUCE STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION ON MEDICAL STUDENTS

Background: Medical education is considered as being stressful which may cause stress, anxiety, and depression. The student support program is designed to help students of the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta (FMUPNVJ) build resilience to the stress through education and coping skills training. This study aimed to evaluate this supportive program on stress, anxiety, and depression levels, as well as academic performance.Methods: This study used a one-group pretest-posttest design. Thirty of third-semester students who were randomly chosen and had psychological problems according to the criteria were offered to join the program. The program used problemfocused coping and emotion-focused coping methods in eight sessions for four weeks. Before and after the program, students were evaluated using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-42 questionnaire and their academic performance based on block exam results.Results: Wilcoxon test showed a decrease in levels of anxiety (p = 0.003) and depression (p = 0.004) after the program. There was no difference in stress levels before and after the program (p = 0.073), but there were a tendency stress levels of the subject to be lower after the program. Wilcoxon test showed an increase in the practice exam result (p = 0.000). There was no difference in theory exam results before and after the program (p = 0.358), but there was a tendency that the exam result to be higher after the program.Conclusion: The student support program has an indication for overcoming psychological problems and improving the academic performance of FMUPNVJ students.

Report: A Comprehensive Student Support Program in Mental Health // برنامج دعم طلابي شامل للصحة النفسية

In response to an identified need to improve the emotional resilience of children in Palestine, the Palestinian Medical Education Initiative (PMED) developed a comprehensive program to support student mental health that was delivered at a private school in East Jerusalem in 2015–2016. This report describes the structure and function of the comprehensive program, in which training was provided for all school staff and for parents in a series of meetings and workshops, in addition to the establishment of a permanent school-based Taskforce, led by the trainer, consisting of two teachers, the principal, and the guidance counselor. The report also outlines the processes of outcomes measurement and evaluation of this program. The aim of the Taskforce was to develop school-wide programming supporting student resilience and to make specific plans to address individual students who had been identified with behavioral or learning problems. The success of this pilot program demonstrates the effectiveness of the training/Taskforce model and suggests that future policy planning and research in Palestine consider adopting similar comprehensive student support programs.

Rising from the Ashes: The Journey of Unmarried College Students who Got Pregnant

Sexual adventurism among young people of today seemed to penetrate even the religiously and culturally conservative countries. Thus, it is not surprising that early pregnancy among college and university students becomes a growing issue worldwide. Things become complicated for students who got pregnant while studying because they will be forced to either temporarily or permanently quit from school. The study examined the transition experiences of eight Filipino single and unmarried college students who stopped from their schooling because of early pregnancy but chose to come back to finish their studies. Results revealed that early pregnancy was considered by the participants as a tragedy resulting in negative feelings and thoughts. Some participants thought of and even attempted abortion. However, they did not succumb to their heartbreaking situations but decided to rise and continue their drive towards the realization of their dreams. Their children and their loved ones as well their earnest desires to afford better future for their family with or without their partner’s support have motivated them to endure the difficulties during their comeback to school. As a result of this study, Cor Jesu College has formulated policy on student pregnancy and crafted student support program for pregnant students and students who are already mothers taking into account their concrete needs.

Belonging, Connectedness, and Self-Worth: Building Socially Sustainable Communities through a School based Student Support Program

This article draws from an evaluation of a school-based student support program operating in the Elizabeth-Munno Para region of South Australia (“Author”, 2005). Based on a community development model, The Turn Around Program (TAP) extends beyond the parameters of the classroom to provide educational, social and health services to students and families affected by economic and social disadvantage. Data collected from children, parents, teachers and school principals, indicated that the Program enhanced the capacity of families and communities affected by disadvantage and poverty to more effectively support and nurture their children. The marked improvements in parenting capacity and in child-parent interaction and communication provided children with a more open and supportive home environment, which in turn, improved children’s experience of schooling and their capacity for learning. Through an examination of key aspects of the Program, the paper demonstrates how TAP has successfully melded long held ecological perspectives on schooling and child development with a number of strategies that promote the development of socially sustainable communities.