Factors Affecting Resilience of Nursing, Optometry, Radiography and Medical Laboratory Science Students

Abstract

Background: The concern over the high level of stress experienced by students of the caring professions has led to increased attention being paid to the promotion of their resilience. Most earlier studies have focused on the resilience of medical and nursing students. There has been little exploration of the resilience and associated factors of students of other health-care disciplines. The aim of this study was to gather data from students of pre-registration health-care disciplines to identify the factors that influence their resilience. Method: Valid questionnaires were used to assess respondents’ resilience, self-efficacy, mindfulness, coping and trait positive and negative affect. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and univariate and general linear regression. Results: A total of 1320 university students from nursing, medical laboratory science, radiography and optometry were recruited. The results showed that the subjects’ resilience scores were lower than those of students in Western countries. We found self-efficacy and denial to be the common predictors for students of all disciplines. Conclusion: The resilience of students in the four disciplines was predicted by a combination of predictors. Faculties of universities and clinical mentors should collaborate in building resilience in their health-care students and support them to grow both personally and professionally during their careers.

An integrative review of resilience among nursing students in the context of nursing education

“…Some demographic characteristics have been shown to affect resilience in nursing students, including inadequate income (Ching & Cheung, 2021 ; Ertekin Pinar et al, 2018 ; Hamadeh Kerbage et al, 2021 ; Yıldırım et al, 2021 ; Yıldız, 2021 ), age (Ching & Cheung, 2021 ; Ertekin Pinar et al, 2018 ; Hasson et al, 2021 ), gender (Arries‐Kleyenstüber, 2021 ; Ching & Cheung, 2021 ), marital status (Yıldırım et al, 2021 ), year of study (Elzohary et al, 2017 ; Fernández‐Martínez et al, 2021 ; Yıldırım et al, 2021 ), religion (Sigalit et al, 2017 ) and living conditions (Yıldırım et al, 2021 ). However, some have argued that age does not affect resilience (Arries‐Kleyenstüber, 2021 ; Grande et al, 2021 ).…”

Can We Predict Turnover Intention in Nursing Students? An Exploration of the Relationship Between Resilience, Burnout and Their Relationship with Future Turnover Intention

“…Maintaining a good work and life balance is one of the progressing issues academics face in higher education institutions [52]. Ching & Cheung [53] found that having a paid job predicted resilience. Working aids in developing resilience by fostering competence in the face of, and professional growth following, workplace adversity [54].…”

An investigation into the wellbeing of optometry students

“…Often health-profession students, put patients' needs before their own, leading to an underreporting of mental health conditions in health-profession students (8). Wellbeing of health-profession students has also been found to be negatively impacted by the time demands of the course and the perceived difficulty of the course work (8). The power-distance nature of undergraduate students' interactions and relationships with clinical supervisors, is also perceived to cause stress (9).…”

“…The transition to university life amongst first year students forces the development of social skills, responsibility and learning to cope without family and friends. Moreover, stress caused from expected academic performance as well as time pressures tests, required grades, higher standard of academic work and anxieties about future job opportunities (5, 8).…”

“…Medical students experience stress, anxiety and depression due to the academic and clinical challenges (3, 5, 6). Often health-profession students, put patients’ needs before their own, leading to an underreporting of mental health conditions in health-profession students (8). Wellbeing of health-profession students has also been found to be negatively impacted by the time demands of the course and the perceived difficulty of the course work (8).…”