Students’ proposed self-management strategies in response to written cases depicting situations of adversity

Introduction: Pharmacy students are facing academic and non-academic pressures that require emotional regulation. This study explored students’ possible self-management strategies when encountering situations known to deplete resilience. Methods: This was a qualitative think-aloud study designed to elicit final year pharmacy students’ reactions to situations known to deplete resilience and evoke emotional responses (racism, lack of trust, negative feedback, burnout, personal stress, sexual harassment). Thematic analysis was used to capture the strategies students used to self-manage their emotions. Results: Students made use of three types of processes to self-manage their emotions, which were used to construct three overarching strategies: the internalizer (avoidance, self-reflection), the seeker (asking for help or corroboration), and the confronter (approaching the situation and persons involved ‘head on’). Conclusion: Findings support the notion that students’ self-management is not a ‘one size fits all’ construct, and any approach to emotional skill development needs to recognize individualization within student responses.

Factors of academic stress: Do they impact English academic performance?

<span>This study investigated the college students’ level of academic performance and determined the impact of academic stress on their English academic performance. This employed a descriptive-exploratory research design with Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and correlation analysis (Pearson r) as main analyses using statistical software. The result suggested that the students (N=250) have a moderate level of stress. Likewise, seven factors were generated through EFA but were reduced to four factors using parallel analysis, the factors are perceived personal stress, classroom stress, performance stress, and time management stress. In the correlation analysis, it was found out that perceived personal stress, classroom stress, and performance stress are significantly correlated except for time management stress. Moreover, these factors were found to have no significant relationship with the English grades of the students. With this result, it is concluded that despite having a moderate level of academic stress, students were able to manage them by using a plethora of coping mechanisms available. The institutions should offer prevention and intervention services that directly address the academic stress of the students to ensure academic success.</span>

Telework and Psychological Health in Hospital Staff during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Epidemic in France

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a change in work organization with the development of telework. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in teleworking staff in a university hospital center in France during the first lockdown, and to identify personal, medical and occupational factors associated with anxiety disorder. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 474 hospital staff working from home during the first lockdown. The sociodemographic, occupational and medical information (anxiety and depressive disorders measured on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale) was collected by an anonymous online self-administered questionnaire. The variables associated with anxiety disorder were investigated by a univariate analysis (chi² and Fisher tests) and a multivariate analysis (logistic regression model). Results: Three hundred and forty hospital staff participated in the study (72% response rate). Of the participants, 106 subjects (32.1%) showed signs of an anxiety disorder and 26 (7.65%) of a depressive disorder. An anxiety disorder was significantly associated with mental workload, changes in working hours, difficulties in teleworking due to issues of internet connection or due to noise, difficulties in combining family and occupational life, sleep disturbance, worry about media information and worry about the health of a loved one. An anxiety disorder remained associated with occupational stress and personal stress during lockdown after a multivariate logistic regression. Conclusions: This study highlighted the association between an anxiety disorder and perceived occupational and personal stress levels in hospital staff teleworking during the first lockdown. Stress management workshops could be proposed to hospital staff. Prevention of anxiety requires reinforced medical monitoring and reduced stress.

FEATURES OF THE REACTIONS OF THE FUNCTIONAL SYSTEMS OF THE STUDENTS' BODY DURING PERIODS OF HIGH EMOTIONAL STRESS

The study of the features of the reactions of functional shifts of the body systems of students in order to prevent the formation of pathological changes and preserve health at high intensity of the learning process. In the simulated conditions of knowledge control (performance of tests, tasks, practical skills) with the help of the SAN questionnaire, significant fluctuations in activity and mood indicators were revealed (p<0.5), according to the results of the test «Self-assessment of personal stress resistance», 16% of 50 students rated their condition «above average» and changes in hemodynamic indicators-the autonomic Kerdo index and the endurance coefficient indicate a high load on the autonomic nervous system and the inability to perform work productively in the previous mode.

Perceived stressors of undergraduate dental students at an Australasian dental school

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived stressors of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students at a prominent Australasian dental school using the Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionnaire. All BDS students were emailed a modified version of the DES questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of forty questions: seven collecting demographic information, one free text question and thirty-two items related to various sources of stress, grouped into four subscales: 1) Academic 2) Clinical and patient related 3) Environmental and 4) Personal. Students were asked to rate the items on a five-point Likert-type scale ranging from not at all stressful (1) to extremely stressful (5). Of the 314 students emailed, 165 responded to the survey (52.5% response rate). The academic subscale had the highest self-reported mean stress score (3.09 ± 0.68 (SD)); compared with the clinical (2.71 ± 0.77), environmental (2.40 ± 0.77) and personal (2.37 ± 0.68) subscales. There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) in self-perceived clinic related stress levels between male and female students, with female students reporting more stress. There was also a statistically significant difference in self-perceived environmental stress between second- and third-year students (p=0.037), and in perceived personal stress between students based on their English language status (p=0.034). These findings can enable identification of students who might be at higher risk of stress to ensure support is provided for them; specifically, female students and students in their third year. Results also indicate the need to develop interventions to help all students with academic stressors.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the experiences of hepatology nurses in Canada

Background: In March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, directly affecting the management of liver disease. Aims: This study aimed to gain insights on the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian hepatology nursing care practices, on the personal stress levels of nurses and on strategies employed in the delivery of care. Methods: The 129 members of the Canadian Association of Hepatology Nurses (CAHN) were invited to an online survey, with a mixed-methods design consisting of 22 quantitative and seven optional qualitative questions. Findings: Of CAHN members, 41 (32%) responded to the survey; 90% reported moderate-to-severe negative impacts on practice settings, while 68% reported hepatitis C testing and treatment delays. The qualitative data identified six main themes within two broad categories: barriers in access to care and strategies employed by nurses. Conclusions: Participants identified that COVID-19 had negative impacts on themselves personally and on their delivery of healthcare to patients. Hepatology nurses led positive changes through collaboration with community partners and mobilisation of outreach work.

MATRIX OF DEVELOPMENT OF STRESS RESISTANCE OF PERSONALITY

Nowadays research of stress phenomena in psychological science is highly significant. Many citizens suffer from the stressors of current Ukrainian crisis society. First of all, the personal stress tolerance development is a psychotherapeutic problem that should be emphasized. However, there is no unique concept for stress tolerance development. The article provides a matrix of integrative personal stress tolerance development and its theoretical and methodological foundation. Stress tolerance is considered as an integrative property of personality characterized by a coordinated interaction of psychophysiological, emotional (motivational, communicative), cognitive, volitional components that ensure its achievement or successful overcoming of critical situations (crisis, stress, conflict, frustration) in everyday and extreme living conditions. The matrix developed by the author is the result of psychotherapeutic and consultative work with patrol police officers, and victims of critical life situations (crisis, stress, conflict, frustration). The sequence of psychotherapeutic work is represented by the following stages as: stage of identifying a topical problem, stage of working with psychophysiological component of stress tolerance, stage of changing negative protection for successful coping strategies, stage of working with emotional component of stress tolerance, stage of self-discovery of dominant communicative personal traits, stage of operation with cognitive stress component, the stage of coping resources obtaining, the stage of new value priorities, goals and self-organization determination, the stage of operation with the volitional structure of personal stress tolerance.