INTRODUCTION:Personal growth initiative (PGI) is an “intentional involvement in changing and developing as a person.” A student who has higher level of PGI is said to show higher academic performance because higher level of PGI might increase the student's contribution and achievement in life.AIM:This study aimed to explore the association between academic performance and PGI among undergraduate dental students.METHODS:A cross-sectional study was carried out among 287 2nd, 3rd, 4th year dental students and interns of Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad. Personal growth was evaluated by Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II (PGIS-II) along with their university academic performance in the last year. SPSS package version 21.0, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Mann–Whitney U-test were used for comparison among variables.RESULTS:A significant difference (P = 0.05) was observed for PGIS subscale “readiness for change,” with a higher mean score among 4th-year students (3.59 ± 1.07). However, females showed higher mean score for all subscales of PGIS except “Using resources” and total PGIS, but there is no significant gender difference. While higher mean scores for all subscales and total PGIS were observed among students who attained > 75% in their last year university examination, significant difference was observed for subscale “Intentional behavior” (P = 0.02) only.CONCLUSION:PGI scale plays a crucial role among students to experience increased levels of well-being, develop them positively, and adapt to adverse situations.
AbstractBackgroundCoping strategies are highly mediated by the environment, in particular when the person deals with the obstacles and impediments to fulfill their goals. This study aimed to investigate the Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies among Undergraduate Dental Students of Panineeya Institute of Dental Sciences Hyderabad, India.Materials and MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 267 undergraduate dental students. The survey tool comprised of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Brief COPE Scale along with demographic variables. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 20.0.ResultsBased on gender, females had high PSS mean scores (23.8±7.3) than males and to overwhelm these stress levels most of the students followed adaptive coping strategies (40.4±7.8) with no significant difference. But, significant difference noted for maladaptive coping dimension “denial” (p=0.004). On comparison between year of study, higher perceived stress was noted among second year students (26.7± 5.8), and least among first years (21.6±7). In order to defeat the stressors most of the second year undergraduate students used adaptive coping strategies. However, highest mean adaptive coping scores were noted among first years (41.6±7.5) and least scores observed among fourth years (38.6±9.2). However, total PSS score showed significant positive correlation (p<0.001) with maladaptive coping strategies.ConclusionFemales and second year students perceived more stress levels, to overtake those stressors most of them followed adaptive coping strategies. Hence, institutional authorities should take measures to decrease the stress levels and encourage the students to adopt healthy life style such as meditation and exercise to beat their stressors.
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