Geleceğin Sağlık Çalışanları Olarak Diş Hekimliği Öğrencilerinin Psikolojik Dayanıklılık Düzeylerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Amaç: Diş hekimliği eğitimi, öğrencilerin ağız ve diş sağlığı sorunlarını önleme, teşhis etme ve tedavi etme becerilerini kazanmaları için hem teorik bilgiyi hem de klinik uygulamayı içerir. Diş hekimliği öğrencileri, yoğun ders yüküne yetişememe ve klinik gereklilikleri tamamlama konusunda stres yaşayabilmektedir. Bu nedenle, bu çalışma geleceğin sağlık çalışanları olan diş hekimliği öğrencilerinin psikolojik dayanıklılık seviyelerini incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Yöntemler: Bu kesitsel çalışma, bir vakıf üniversitesinden (VÜ) 678 diş hekimliği öğrencisini (K/E: 428/250) ve bir devlet üniversitesinden (DÜ) 550 öğrenciyi (K/E: 358/192) içermektedir. Veriler, kişisel bilgileri içeren bir anket ve 6 maddelik “Kısa Dayanıklılık Ölçeği” (KDÖ) (1-6 puan) ile toplanmıştır. KDÖ puanı, düşük dayanıklılık (<3 puan) ve normal/yüksek dayanıklılık (≥3 puan) olmak üzere iki gruba ayrılmıştır. Bulgular: VÜ'ye kıyasla DÜ’de hem KDÖ puanında düşüş (VÜ: 3,12±0,78 vs. DÜ: 2,97±0,82) hem de düşük KDÖ oranında artış (VÜ: %33,9 vs. DÜ: %46,5) gözlenmiştir (her ikisi için de p<0,001). Çalışma grubunda, her iki üniversitede de kadın öğrencilerin (VÜ: 2,98±0,77; DÜ: 2,82±0,77) KDÖ puanı, erkek öğrencilere (VÜ: 3,35±0,77; DÜ: 3,27±0,84) kıyasla daha düşük bulunmuştur (her ikisi için de p=0,001). DÜ’de klinik eğitim aşamasındaki öğrencilerin KDÖ puanı, preklinik aşamadaki öğrencilere göre daha düşük bulunurken (p<0,05), VÜ'de benzer bir fark gözlenmemiştir (p>0,05). Sonuç: Cinsiyet, klinik eğitim aşaması ve üniversite profiline göre psikolojik dayanıklılık seviyelerinde farklılıklar gözlemlendiğinden, diş hekimliği öğrencilerini güçlendirmek amacıyla bu faktörleri dikkate alan mentorluk programları geliştirilmelidir.

Keywords

• Psikolojik Dayanıklılık
• Diş Hekimliği Eğitimi
• Diş Hekimliği Öğrencileri
• Klinik Uygulama

An Assessment of Psychological Resilience Levels of Dental Students as Future Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Aim: Dental education includes both theoretical knowledge and clinical practice so that students acquire the skills to prevent, diagnose and treat oral health problems. Dental students feel stress owing to an inability to keep up with the workload and to complete clinical requirements. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the psychological resilience levels in dental students as future healthcare workers. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 678 dental students (F/M:428/250) from a foundation university (FU) and 550 students (F/M:358/192) from a public university (PU). Data were collected by a questionnaire regarding personal information and the “Brief Resilience Scale” (BRS) with a 6-item (1-6 points). The BRS score was categorized into two groups as the low resilience (<3 points) vs. the normal resilience/high resilience (≥3 points). Results: Both decrease in BRS score (3.12±0.78 in FU vs. 2.97±0.82 in PU) and elevated ratios of low BRS (33,9% vs.46,5%, respectively) were observed in the PU compared to those of FU (p<0.001 for both). In the study group, female students (2.98±0.77 in FU, 2.82±0.77 in PU) had low BRS score compared to those of male students (3.35±0.77 in FU, 3.27±0.84 in PU) in both universities (p=0.001 for both). The BRS score was lower in the clinical phase of dental education than the preclinical phase in the PU (p<0.05), whereas similar results were not seen in the FU (p>0.05). Conclusion: Since differences were observed in psychological resilience according to gender, clinical education, and university profile, mentoring programs regarding these factors should be developed to empower dental students.

Keywords

• Psychological Resilience
• Dental Education
• Dental Students
• Clinical Practice

References

1. Aboalshamat, K. T., Alsiyud, A. O., Al‑Sayed, R. A., Alreddadi, R. S., Faqiehi, S. S., & Almehmadi, S. A. (2018). The Relationship between Resilience, Happiness, and Life Satisfaction in Dental and Medical Students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice, 21(8), Article 8.
2. Al Omari, O., Al Yahyaei, A., Wynaden, D., Damra, J., Aljezawi, M., Al Qaderi, M., Al Ruqaishi, H., Abu Shahrour, L., & ALBashtawy, M. (2023). Correlates of resilience among university students in Oman: A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 11(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-01035-9
3. Alsharif, A. (2020). The Protective Role of Resilience in Emotional Exhaustion Among Dental Students at Clinical Levels. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, Volume 13, 989-995. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S281580
4. Aydın, M., & Egemberdiyeva, A. (2018). Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Psikolojik Sağlamlık Düzeylerinin İncelenmesi. Türkiye Eğitim Dergisi, 3(1), Article 1.
5. Badur, F. (2024). Türkiye’deki Devlet ve Vakıf Üniversitelerinin Diş Hekimliği Fakültelerinin Müfredatlarının İletişim Becerileri Eğitimi Açısından Karşılaştırılması. Türk Diş Hekimliği Araştırma Dergisi, 3(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.58711/turkishjdentres.vi.1511080
6. Bahadir-Yilmaz, E., & Oz, F. (2015). The Resilience Levels Of First-Year Medical, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Health Sciences Students. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(2), 385-392.
7. CDA. (2023, Ağustos). Accreditation Standards For Dental Education Programs. Chicago: American Dental Association. https://coda.ada.org
8. Chyu, E. P. Y., & Chen, J.-K. (2022). Associations Between Academic Stress, Mental Distress, Academic Self-Disclosure to Parents and School Engagement in Hong Kong. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 911530. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.911530

9. Cliff, N. (1993). Dominance statistics: Ordinal analyses to answer ordinal questions. Psychological Bulletin, 114(3), 494-509. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.114.3.494
10. Collin, V., O’Selmo, E., & Whitehead, P. (2020). Stress, psychological distress, burnout and perfectionism in UK dental students. British Dental Journal, 229(9), 605-614. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-020-2281-4
11. Coşkun, Y. D., Garipağaoğlu, Ç., & Tosun, Ü. (2014). Analysis of the Relationship between the Resiliency Level and Problem Solving Skills of University Students. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 114, 673-680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.766
12. Doğan, T. (2015). Kısa Psikolojik Sağlamlık Ölçeği’nin Türkçe uyarlaması: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. 3(1), 93-102.
13. Dong, S., Ge, H., Su, W., Guan, W., Li, X., Liu, Y., Yu, Q., Qi, Y., Zhang, H., & Ma, G. (2024). Enhancing psychological well-being in college students: The mediating role of perceived social support and resilience in coping styles. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 393. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01902-7
14. DUÇEP. (2024). Mezuniyet Öncesi Diş Hekimliği Ulusal Çekirdek Eğitim Programı. Yüksek Öğretim Kurumu. https://www.yok.gov.tr/Documents/Kurumsal/egitim_ogretim_dairesi/Ulusal-cekirdek-egitimi-programlari/dis-hekimligi.pdf
15. Duś-Ilnicka, I., Paradowska-Stolarz, A., Mazur, M., Radwan-Oczko, M., Perra, A., Paula, V. S. de, Ward, L. S., Valente, N. A., Firkova, E., Karteva, T., Jorda, L. M., Sousa Gomes, P. de, & Dominiak, M. (2024). Blended intensive programme’s implementation in dental education: Post-pandemic evolution of learning. BMC Medical Education, 24, 352. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05301-9
16. Elani, H. W., Allison, P. J., Kumar, R. A., Mancini, L., Lambrou, A., & Bedos, C. (2014). A Systematic Review of Stress in Dental Students. Journal of Dental Education, 78(2), 226-242. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.0022-0337.2014.78.2.tb05673.x
17. Ertekin Pinar, S., Yildirim, G., & Sayin, N. (2018). Investigating the psychological resilience, self-confidence and problem-solving skills of midwife candidates. Nurse Education Today, 64, 144-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.02.014
18. Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2013). Psychological Resilience: A Review and Critique of Definitions, Concepts, and Theory. European Psychologist, 18(1), 12-23. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000124
19. Fung, S. (2020). Validity of the Brief Resilience Scale and Brief Resilient Coping Scale in a Chinese Sample. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041265
20. Gong, Z., Wang, H., Zhong, M., & Shao, Y. (2023). College students’ learning stress, psychological resilience and learning burnout: Status quo and coping strategies. BMC Psychiatry, 23, 389. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04783-z
21. Imorde, L., Möltner, A., Runschke, M., Weberschock, T., Rüttermann, S., & Gerhardt-Szép, S. (2020). Adaptation and validation of the Berlin questionnaire of competence in evidence-based dentistry for dental students: A pilot study. BMC Medical Education, 20(1), 136. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02053-0
22. Jalali, K., Ahmadi Marzaleh, M., Faghihi, S. A., Hayat, A. A., & Rezaee, R. (2025). Factors influencing the resilience of clinical education in general medicine in Iran: A qualitative content analysis study. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 456. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07000-5
23. Kılıç, N., Mammadov, M., Koçhan, K., & Aypay, A. (2020). Üniversite Öğrencilerinde Genel Öz Yeterlik İnancı ve Beden İmajının Psikolojik Sağlamlık Düzeyini Yordama Gücü. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 35(4), Article 4.
24. Kunzler, A. M., Helmreich, I., König, J., Chmitorz, A., Wessa, M., Binder, H., & Lieb, K. (2020). Psychological interventions to foster resilience in healthcare students. Cochrane Databaseof Systematic Reviews, 2020(7). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012527.pub2
25. Li, B., Cheng, L., & Wang, H. (2022). Challenges and Opportunities for Dental Education from COVID-19. Dentistry Journal, 10(10), 188. https://doi.org/10.3390/dj10100188
26. Lu, L., Ye, C., Xu, R., Feng, H., & Liu, B. (2024). Psychological resilience and perceived stress among Chinese medical students: Mediation between optimistic intelligence quotient and adversity quotient. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 1358. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06287-0
27. Μangoulia, P., Kanellopoulou, A., Manta, G., Chrysochoou, G., Dimitriou, E., Kalogerakou, T., & Antoniadou, M. (2025). Exploring the Levels of Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Resilience, Hope, and Spiritual Well-Being Among Greek Dentistry and Nursing Students in Response to Academic Responsibilities Two Years After the COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare, 13(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13010054
28. Maragha, T., Donnelly, L., Schuetz, C., von Bergmann, H., & Brondani, M. (2023). Students’ resilience and mental health in the dental curriculum. European Journal of Dental Education, 27(1), 174-180. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12790
29. Mariño, R., Delany, C., Manton, D., Reid, K., Satur, J., Crombie, F., Wong, R., McNally, C., Lopez, D., Celentano, A., Lim, M., & Morgan, M. (2022). Preparedness for practice of newly qualified dental professionals in Australia—Educator, employer, and consumer perspectives. BMC Medical Education, 22(1), 396. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03476-7
30. Masten, A. S. (2014). Global perspectives on resilience in children and youth. Child Development, 85(1), 6-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12205
31. Mcdermott, R. C., Fruh, S. M., Williams, S., Hauff, C., Graves, R. J., Melnyk, B. M., & Hall, H. R. (2020). Nursing students’ resilience, depression, well-being, and academic distress: Testing a moderated mediation model. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(12), 3385-3397. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14531
32. McDonald, J. M., & Paganelli, C. (2021). Exploration of Mental Readiness for Enhancing Dentistry in an Inter-Professional Climate. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), Article 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137038
33. McKenzie, C. T., & Cruz Walma, D. A. (2024). A cross-sectional study of academic success measures, grit, and resilience among US dental students. Journal of Dental Education, 88(11), 1511-1519. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13627
34. Montas, M., Rao, S. R., Atassi, H. A., Shapiro, M. C., Dean, J., & Salama, A. R. (2021). Relationship of grit and resilience to dental students’ academic success. Journal of Dental Education, 85(2), 176-186. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.12414
35. Rodríguez-Molinero, J., Corral-Liria, I., Jiménez-Fernández, R., Ramírez-Puerta, R., González-Martín, S., Delgado-Somolinos, E., Losa-Iglesias, M. E., & López-Sánchez, A. F. (2024). Resilience and psychological factors among dentistry students who received face-to-face lectures during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 446. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05445-8
36. Rojas, M., Rodriguez, Y., Pacheco, Y., Zapata, E., Monsalve, D. M., Mantilla, R. D., Rodríguez-Jimenez, M., Ramírez-Santana, C., Molano-González, N., & Anaya, J.-M. (2018). Resilience in women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases. Joint Bone Spine, 85(6), 715-720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbspin.2017.12.012
37. Ryder, M. I., & Morio, I. (2011). Current challenges for dental education in Japan and the United States. Japanese Dental Science Review, 47(1), 23-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdsr.2010.05.001
38. Sabri, H., Saleh, M. H. A., Hazrati, P., Merchant, K., Misch, J., Kumar, P. S., Wang, H.-L., & Barootchi, S. (2024). Performance of three artificial intelligence (AI)-based large language models in standardized testing; implications for AI-assisted dental education. Journal of Periodontal Research, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1111/jre.13323
39. Sever, M., & Tatlıcıoğlu, O. (2024). Psychological Resilience Mediates the Relationship Between BCE’s and Life Satisfaction: Examining Turkish Students. Adversity and Resilience Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42844-024-00146-z
40. Sevimli, E., Günay, S., Aliyeva, A., Aksoy, B., Fortune, F., Inanc, N., & Mumcu, G. (2024). Psychological resilience in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome: Effect of involvement of major salivary and lacrimal glands. European Journal of Oral Sciences, 132(6), e13022. https://doi.org/10.1111/eos.13022
41. Smith, B. W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15(3), 194-200. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705500802222972
42. Smith, B. W., Epstein, E. M., Ortiz, J. A., Christopher, P. J., & Tooley, E. M. (2013). The Foundations of Resilience: What Are the Critical Resources for Bouncing Back from Stress? Içinde S. Prince-Embury & D. H. Saklofske (Ed.), Resilience in Children, Adolescents, and Adults (ss. 167-187). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4939-3_13
43. Smith, C. S., Carrico, C. K., Goolsby, S., & Hampton, A. C. (2020). An analysis of resilience in dental students using the Resilience Scale for Adults. Journal of Dental Education, 84(5), 566-577. https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.12041
44. Spielman, A. I. (2024). Dental education and practice: Past, present, and future trends. Frontiers in Oral Health, 5, 1368121. https://doi.org/10.3389/froh.2024.1368121
45. Stormon, N., Ford, P. J., Kisely, S., Bartle, E., & Eley, D. S. (2019). Depression, anxiety and stress in a cohort of Australian dentistry students. European Journal of Dental Education, 23(4), 507-514. https://doi.org/10.1111/eje.12459
46. Weraarchakul, W., Weraarchakul, W., Thinsathid, N., & Chapawang, C. (2016). Resilience Quotient among Dental Students at Clinical Level, Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet, 99 Suppl 5, S148-54.
47. Zhao, F., Guo, Y., Suhonen, R., & Leino-Kilpi, H. (2016). Subjective well-being and its association with peer caring and resilience among nursing vs medical students: A questionnaire study. Nurse Education Today, 37, 108-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2015.11.019