Exploring stressors and coping strategies among dental students during COVID‐19 pandemic in British Columbia

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThe COVID‐19 pandemic has caused stress among undergraduate dental students; coping mechanisms might be employed to deal with such stress. A cross‐sectional study was conducted to explore the coping strategies employed by dental students at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in response to their self‐perceived stressors during the pandemic.MethodsAn anonymous 35‐item survey was distributed to all four cohorts of UBC undergraduate dental students enrolled in the 2021–2022 academic year, 229 students in total. The survey gathered sociodemographic information, self‐perceived COVID‐19‐related stressor, and coping strategies via the Brief Cope Inventory. Adaptive and maladaptive coping were compared among the years of study, self‐perceived stressors, sex, ethnicity, and living situations.ResultsOf the 229 eligible students, 182 (79.5%) responded to the survey. Of the 171 students that reported a major self‐perceived stressor, 99 (57.9%) of them were stressed about clinical skill deficit due to the pandemic; fear of contraction was reported by 27 (15.8%). Acceptance, self‐distraction, and positive reframing were the most used coping strategies among all students. The one‐way ANOVA test revealed a significant difference in the adaptive coping scores among the four student cohorts (p = 0.001). Living alone was found to be a significant predictor for maladaptive coping (p < 0.001).ConclusionThe main cause of stress related to the COVID‐19 pandemic for dental students at UBC is their clinical skills being negatively affected. Coping strategies including acceptance and self‐distraction were identified. Continued mitigation efforts should be made to address students’ mental health concerns and create a supportive learning environment.