Introduction. is study was a mixedmethods, multisite design, which aimed to determine incidence and severity of depression, anxiety, and stress in Doctor of Physical erapy (DPT) students and to explore the lived experience of students managing mental illness while completing their academic requirements. Methods. Surveys were emailed to DPT programs and forwarded to students. Students enrolled in 238 DPT programs across the United Sates were eligible for inclusion. A total of 1,238 students completed both surveys. Of those who completed the surveys, 20 volunteers were randomly selected for and completed telephone interviews. Doctor of Physical erapy students (N = 1,228) completed 2 surveys, including the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS); 20 of these students volunteered to interview. Students who volunteered were invited to participate based on the DASS results. A total of 20 semi-structured interviews were completed.Results. Doctor of Physical erapy students were found to have higher DASS scores than their age-matched peers in Depression t(1,227) = 2.91, P = .029; Anxiety t(1,227) = 7.33, P # .005; and Stress t(1,227) = 10.76, P # .005. First-year students were found to have significantly higher levels of anxiety (P = .001) and stress (P = .019) as compared with thirdyear students. Four major themes emerged from the interview data. eme 4-Fear of Failure Drives Perfection was familiar to the construct of social perfectionism (SP), which has been linked to maladaptive tendencies and mental health disorders, including suicidal ideation. Discussion/Conclusions. Doctor of Physical erapy students have statistically higher DASS scores when compared with their age-matched peers. First-year students seem to be at higher risk for developing anxiety and stress. e construct of SP may influence the depression, anxiety, and stress described by DPT students. Doctor of Physical erapy programs may want to consider methods to identify maladaptive perfectionism and strategies to enhance students' ability to manage factors affecting their mental health based on the qualitative findings of this study.

Introduction. High incidences of mental health issues in the undergraduate and graduate students are reported nationwide. The purpose of this study was to assess the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students' depression, anxiety, and stress levels using the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to investigate how mental and physical behaviors correlate with DPT students' mental health and to identify the coping strategies of DPT students to guide the intervention strategies of PT programs. Methods. A 49-item survey with demographic questions and 3 open-ended questions was developed to assess the students' mental and health behaviors. The DASS-21 was imbedded in the survey. Email invitations to 136 DPT students from one DPT program in the Southwestern region of the United States resulted in 59 responses. Results. Most students had normal DASS-21 scores for stress (66%), anxiety (64%), and depression (73%). However, only 46% had normal ranges for all 3 scales and a concerning number of students scored in the moderate and severe ranges for stress (19%), anxiety (25%), depression (12%), and previous suicide ideation (7%). No correlation was found between the DASS-21 scores and the gender or relationship status. No significant difference was found between the years in the program in the subscores of stress (P = .189), anxiety (P = .095), or depression (P = .149). All subscores of the DASS-21 were inversely correlated with hours of sleep: stress (r = −0.317, P = .014), anxiety (r = −0.467, P ≤ .005), and depression (r = −0.310, P = .017). Depression subscores were associated with lower frequency of aerobic (r = −0.335, P = .01) and strengthening exercises (r = −0.259, P = .049). Discussion and Conclusions. Physical therapist education programs should address the mental health issues of students by providing education on how to incorporate active positive coping strategies into their very busy lives. Students in this study are aware of healthy physical and mental strategies but do not use them consistently.

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Introduction.Burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. Prevention and management of burnout in the doctor of physical therapy (DPT) student population may help reduce the development of burnout later in their work life.Review of Literature.Few published studies assessing burnout have been conducted with physical therapist students. In studies with medical and nursing students, individual factors that influence the development of burnout include reduced level of physical activity, reduced level of social support, not experiencing positive life events, increased fatigue, increased stress, and decreased resilience. Environmental factors that influence the development of burnout include grading scheme and perceptions of the learning environment.Subjects.Participants included 20 DPT students from across the United States.Method.A total of 522 students from a previous study who volunteered for the present grounded theory qualitative study were stratified by burnout group (burnout and nonburnout) and geographic region. Once stratified, students were randomized and then contacted through email to set up an interview time to participate in a Zoom audio interview. A total of 20 semistructured interviews were completed ranging from 20 to 40 minutes.Results.Three major themes emerged from the data, each with 3 subthemes. The major themes included burnout experience, factors that negatively affected well-being, and factors that positively affected well-being.Discussion and Conclusion.The results of this study indicate that DPT students experienced burnout as a combination of exhaustion, disengagement, and chronic overload. Factors that negatively affected well-being while in DPT school included unmanageable stress, an excessive workload, and time pressures. Factors that positively affected well-being while in DPT school included prioritizing time, support from faculty, friends, and family, and self-awareness.