Stress and anxiety levels of dentistry students transitioning from distance education to face-to-face education during the covid-19 pandemic

Öz

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant shift in educational modalities worldwide, affecting students' mental health, especially those in healthcare education. To assess the levels of stress and anxiety among dentistry students who transitioned from distance education to face-to-face learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine the relationship between these psychological parameters. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a faculty of dentistry in Turkey with volunteer participation. A total of 101 volunteer dentistry students were surveyed using a structured questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic data, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). The survey was conducted face-to-face following ethical approval. Descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U test, and Spearman’s correlation were used to evaluate stress and anxiety levels and to assess correlations between variables. Results: Students reported a moderate level of perceived stress. Female students exhibited significantly higher stress levels than male students (p= 0.043). Coronavirus-related anxiety was present in 21.8% of the participants. No statistically significant correlation was found between stress scores and COVID-19 anxiety scores. Conclusion: While dentistry students experienced moderate stress levels during the transition to clinical education, the direct relationship between perceived stress and coronavirus-related anxiety was not statistically significant. Female students appeared more vulnerable to stress. These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial support strategies during transitional periods in medical education.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Anxiety
• COVID-19
• Dental education
• Dentistry Students
• Stress

COVID-19 PANDEMİSİNDE UZAKTAN EĞİTİMDEN YÜZ YÜZE EĞİTİME GEÇİŞTE DİŞ HEKİMLİĞİ ÖĞRENCİLERİNDE STRES VE ANKSİYETE DÜZEYLERİ

Öz

Amaç: COVID-19 pandemisi, dünya genelinde eğitim yöntemlerinde önemli değişikliklere yol açmış ve özellikle sağlık alanında eğitim gören öğrencilerin ruh sağlığını etkilemiştir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, COVID-19 pandemisi sürecinde uzaktan eğitimden yüz yüze eğitime geçen diş hekimliği öğrencilerinin stres ve anksiyete düzeylerini değerlendirmek ve bu psikolojik parametreler arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu kesitsel çalışma, Türkiye’de bir diş hekimliği fakültesinde gönüllü katılım ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Toplam 101 diş hekimliği öğrencisine, sosyodemografik veriler, Algılanan Stres Ölçeği (PSS) ve Koronavirüs Anksiyete Ölçeği (CAS) içeren yapılandırılmış bir anket uygulanmıştır. Etik onay sonrası anketler yüz yüze gerçekleştirilmiştir. Öğrencilerin stres ve anksiyete düzeylerini değerlendirmek ve değişkenler arasındaki ilişkileri analiz etmek amacıyla tanımlayıcı istatistikler, Mann–Whitney U testi ve Spearman korelasyon analizi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Öğrenciler orta düzeyde algılanan stres bildirmiştir. Kadın öğrencilerin stres düzeyleri, erkek öğrencilere kıyasla anlamlı derecede daha yüksek bulunmuştur (p= 0.043). Katılımcıların %21.8’inde COVID-19 ilişkili anksiyete saptanmıştır. Algılanan stres skorları ile COVID-19 anksiyetesi arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir ilişki belirlenmemiştir. Sonuç: Klinik eğitime geçiş sürecinde diş hekimliği öğrencileri orta düzeyde stres yaşamış, ancak algılanan stres ile COVID-19 anksiyetesi arasında doğrudan bir ilişki gösterilememiştir. Kadın öğrencilerin strese daha duyarlı olduğu gözlenmiştir. Bulgular, tıp ve diş hekimliği eğitiminde geçiş dönemlerinde psikososyal destek stratejilerinin önemini vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Anksiyete
• COVİD-19
• Diş hekimliği Eğitimi
• Diş hekimliği öğrencileri
• stres

Destekleyen Kurum

None.

Etik Beyan

This study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Ankara University Faculty of Dentistry (date: 17.11.2021, No: 17/03).

Teşekkür

None.

Kaynakça

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