Stress Perception and Coping Strategies Among Healthcare Students: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of stress among university students, particularly those studying in healthcare fields, has emerged as a significant worldwide concern. stress is characterized as a state of mental strain or anxiety stemming from challenging situations. The aim of this review is to deliver a systematic review of previous research, and knowledge on the stress perceived by healthcare students and their coping mechanisms. Methods: The articles were obtained from the online databases which are PubMed, Ovid Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, and EBSCO Discovery services. Only 40 studies were included in this review. Results: The result revealed, final year healthcare students mainly from medical and nursing course received stress from workload and assignment, lack of professional knowledge and skill and lack of free time. The students applied problem-focused, emotional-focused and avoidant coping to cope with their stressors. Conclusion: In conclusion, this review indicates the need for future research to focus on perceived stress and coping mechanisms especially for final year healthcare courses other than medical and nursing to emphasize the broader significant and potential impact on the finding.