Dental News - Researchers analyze sources of stress in dental students

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 13. February 2019

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PORTLAND, Maine, U.S.: There are only a few studies that have examined not only the pressures students have to cope with in dental schools, but also the possible factors that trigger such stress in the first place. A recent study, published by researchers at the University of New England (UNE) College of Dental Medicine, which was launched in 2013, has shed light on the issue and has established a correlation between the curriculum and stress among students.

The study determined the effects of the curriculum had on first- and second-year dental students and has since led to changes in the college’s own curriculum in the hope that it would aid in alleviating stress among students. “My primary interest is educational research,” said Assistant Clinical Professor Dr. Yang Kang, the lead researcher of the study. “I want to help students address their challenges in dental school.”

The cross-sectional study analyzed data collected from 64 first-year and 63 second-year students during the fall and spring semesters of the 2015‒2016 academic year. By using questionnaires, the researchers assessed information regarding the participants’ demographic information and stressors related to the curriculum.

The study revealed that the second-year students experienced more anxiety overall in comparison to first-year students, especially during the spring semester. In general, first-year students who lived with immediate family felt less stressed than their second-year counterparts. Age was another factor associated with stress, with students aged twenty-five and over experiencing less stress than their younger classmates.

Besides identifying the demographic factors, the study provided valuable insights on the development of the current curriculum in a newly established school, which resulted in curriculum modifications, such as the rescheduling of certain courses or changing a course’s credit value. These modifications are intended to help students better balance their personal lives and the course’s intense workload. The observations could also help develop student support systems in the near future.

The study, titled “Curriculum setting and pre-clinical dental students’ stress level,” was published online in the December 2018 issue of the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

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