Quality of Life and Stress Factors for Veterinary Medical Students

Strand, Elizabeth B.; Zaparanick, Tracy L.; Brace, James J.

doi:10.3138/jvme.32.2.182

Cited by 59 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Some studies have shown to indicate that the low quality of life among students can lead to the decreased mental capacity (Sukharev and Mikhaĭlova 2004), psychological distress (Strand et al 2005) and depression. Therefore, QOL, its protection, promotion and development among these groups of people should be emphasised with great importance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Additionally, students' mental and general health ratings, socio-demographic characteristics, psychological symptoms, and experience of stressors were all linked to their academic achievement (Vaez and Laflamme 2008). Although it can be assumed that stress mediate students' QOL and health, there is a paucity of research pertaining to the coping strategies of this social group (Strand et al 2005). In similar tone, psychological variables that will be described below such as sense of coherence (SOC), self-efficacy (SE), level of optimism (LOO) can be regarded as the coping strategies among students and social ones such as social background and type of faculty may influence their quality of life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychosocial Conditions of Quality of Life Among Undergraduate Students: A Cross Sectional Survey

Posadzki

Musonda

Dębska³

et al. 2009

Applied Research Quality Life

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Quality of life (QOL) in the context of education is an understudied topic and research related to its’ relation to the sense of coherence (SOC), level of optimism (LOO) and self-efficacy (SE) among students seems to be missing. The rationale for this survey was to fill this gap in knowledge and therefore, the aim of the study is to examine the relationship between students’ QOL and psychological variables such as SOC, LOO and SE, and social ones such as type of faculty, students’ social background and sex. The quantitative cross sectional survey has been conducted at three higher education institutions in Poland in January 2006. The random sample of 396 undergraduate students (average age was 20.5 years) representing 5 different faculties namely physiotherapy, physical education, tourism and recreation, English and Polish philology has been selected and participated in the study. Four reliable and validated research tools have been used to collect the data. These included the SF-36, SOC-29, Seligman’s scale, and GSES. The results have shown to indicate that different variables had a significant effect on particular subscales of the QOL outcomes. For example, among social variables faculty had a significant effect on physical functioning, role limitation due to physical functioning, and changes in health. Sex had a significant effect on role limitation due to emotional problems, social functioning, and energy vitality. Social background had a significant effect on general health. Among psychological variables the sense of coherence was significantly related to all subscales of QOL. A significant effect was noted by self-efficacy on physical and social functioning. Level of optimism had a significant effect on energy-vitality and general health. This research survey has suggested that changes in academic curriculum might be implemented to improve students QOL

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial Conditions of Quality of Life Among Undergraduate Students: A Cross Sectional Survey

Posadzki

Musonda

Dębska³

et al. 2009

Applied Research Quality Life

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…11,16,24 When we compared stress levels with another study involving pharmacy students 4 , our students' stress levels were lower whereas they were higher when compared to veterinary students. 25 The mean total stress scores for our study were significantly lower than the normalized mean of 50.…”

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confidence: 85%

Assessing Stress among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students in University of Malaya

Sun¹,

Aziz²

2015

IJPER

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Health care students, particularly pharmacy students, are believed to experience a higher level of stress as compared to their age-matched peers. This cross-sectional study determined the sources and predictors of stress among 273 undergraduate pharmacy students at a Malaysian public university using the Derogatis Stress Profile instrument. The response rate was 100%. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the association between Grade Point Average (GPA) and stress levels. Paired and Independent t-tests as well as ANOVAs were used to compare the mean stress scores on various variables.Our findings showed that these students did not demonstrate significantly higher levels of stress than the general population, even though their perceived stress levels were significantly higher (mean=53.55 ± 7.87; p< 0.001). The most frequently reported stress was related to academic matters. Additionally, there was a weak, statistically significant negative correlation between stress level and GPA (r=-0.159, p=0.009) indicating that as stress levels increases, students' GPA decreases. Second year students were found to be the most stressed although stress levels were not statistically different among students across the various academic years. Thus, targeted interventions such as redesigning the curricula may be an effective way of alleviating stress to provide a favourable learning environment for pharmacy students.Keywords: Derogatis Stress Profile, perceived stress, pharmacy undergraduates, stress levels, healthcare.Key Messages: Pharmacy students' perceived stress levels were significantly higher than the general population. The most frequently reported stress was related to academic matters. There was a weak, negative correlation between stress level and grade point average. Curriculum review could be performed to provide a favourable learning environment for pharmacy students.

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“…Powers 11 found that while students reported certain stressors associated with studying veterinary medicine, they did not feel inordinately stressed and were positive about their veterinary school experience. Another study found that veterinary students did not experience excessive stress, but did report greater levels of subjective stress 6 . However, as these studies involved single populations and did not directly compare with other student groups, it is unclear whether the experiences and mental health of veterinary students differ from those of other similar student populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies using validated psychological scales have shown that UK and US veterinary students experience lower levels of wellbeing and poorer mental health than the general population [3][4][5][6] . Factors contributing to stress among US and Australian veterinary students include heavy workloads, academic worries, time pressures, work-life balance and concerns about the responsibilities of professional practice [7][8][9][10] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vocation, Belongingness, and Balance: A Qualitative Study of Veterinary Student Well-Being

Cardwell¹,

Lewis²

2017

Journal of Veterinary Medical Education

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An elevated risk for suicide among veterinarians has stimulated research into the mental health of the veterinary profession, and more recently attention has turned to the veterinary student population. This study sought to qualitatively explore UK veterinary students' perceptions and experiences of university life, and to consider how these may impact upon wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eighteen students from a single UK school, who had been purposively selected to include male, female, graduate, widening participation and standard entry perspectives across all five years of the course. Three main themes were identified; a deep-rooted vocation, navigating belongingness and finding balance. Participants described a long-standing aim to become a veterinarian, with a determination reflected by often circuitous routes to veterinary school and little or no consideration of alternatives. Although some had been motivated by a love of animals, others were intrinsically interested in the scientific and problem-solving challenges of veterinary medicine and most expressed strong feelings of empathy with animal owners. The issue of belongingness was central to participants' experiences, with accounts reflecting their efforts to negotiate a sense of belongingness both in student and professional communities. Accounts also frequently reflected a degree of acceptance of poor balance between work and relaxation, with implications of a belief that this imbalance could be rectified later. Findings from this study support initiatives aiming to nurture a sense of collegiality among veterinary students as they progress through training and on into the profession, as well as highlighting future avenues for research.

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Quality of Life and Stress Factors for Veterinary Medical Students

Cited by 59 publications

References 15 publications

Psychosocial Conditions of Quality of Life Among Undergraduate Students: A Cross Sectional Survey

Psychosocial Conditions of Quality of Life Among Undergraduate Students: A Cross Sectional Survey

Assessing Stress among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students in University of Malaya

Vocation, Belongingness, and Balance: A Qualitative Study of Veterinary Student Well-Being

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