Final dissertation is considered one of the most stressful situations in university studies, but the stress response and its incidence in academic achievement is poor knowledge. The aim of the present research was to analyze the effect of the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in his final degree dissertation performance. We analyzed the heart rate variability (HRV) of 110 volunteers during their final degree dissertation to evaluate the autonomic stress response. Results showed a large anticipatory anxiety response of students prior to the final degree dissertation and a no habituation response, since low HRV results were found before and during the final degree dissertation. Only after the dissertation, the HRV increased. No relationship between autonomic modulation and the dissertation academic achievement were found. Final degree dissertation in physiotherapy students, produce a large anticipatory anxiety response. Autonomic modulation parameters do not present relationship with the final degree dissertation performance.
The aims of this study were: i. to analyze the effect of nationality on the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in their final degree dissertations; and ii. to analyze the relationship between the stress response and academic results according to nationality. We evaluated the autonomic stress response, cortical arousal, distress subjective perception, and objective and subjective academic fulfilment in Spanish, Italian, and French physiotherapy students during their final degree dissertation. Results showed a large anticipatory anxiety response before the dissertation in the three student groups. Only the Spanish group showed an increased tendency in the habituation process, reducing the psychophysiological stress response during the dissertation, while the Italian and French groups maintained a large sympathetic activation until the end of the dissertation. Cortical arousal and subjective perception of distress were similar in the three nationalities. In addition, no correlation between academic fulfilment and autonomic modulation was found. We concluded that there was no nationality effect in the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in their final degree dissertation, all of them showing a large anticipatory anxiety response.
The aim of the present research was to analyse modifications in the autonomic stress response of Physiotherapy students undergoing a 12-scenario Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE). A total of 86 last year students of the Physiotherapy bachelor’s degree ( 27.29 years (SD = 6.66).; 36 females and 50 males) randomly assigned were monitored during the complete OSCE to measure heart rate variability (HRV) in temporal, frequency, and non-linear domains. The HRV analysed showed a large anticipatory stress response of students maintained during the entire evaluation. The stress response varied regarding OSCE station complexity and demands and the highest sympathetic response was not found in higher emotional scenarios. The autonomic modulation monitoring allows teachers to design OSCE scenarios more adapted to the students, limiting the effect of the stress response to allow a better performance.
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