Perceived Stress and Its Predictors, Stressors and Coping Strategies Among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students In Northern Nigeria.
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Date
2021-12
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Elsevier Incorporation
Abstract
Introduction: Pharmacy education may be associated with stress due to the nature of its curriculum
and expectations of high-quality services from students on graduation. This study evaluated perceived
stress and its predictors, stressors, and coping strategies among undergraduate pharmacy
students in northern Nigeria.
Methods: This was a prospective longitudinal study conducted at three randomly selected pharmacy
schools in northern Nigeria. The validated 10-item Perceived Stress Scale was used to assess participant
stress at the beginning (Time1) and middle (Time2) of the semester. Datawere analyzed with descriptive
statistics, a pairedsample t-test, point-biserial correlations, andmultivariate linear regression at P<.05.
Results: The stress scores at Time1 and Time2 of the 866 participants were 18.3 ± 6.0 and 19.3 ±
5.4, respectively. Most participants at both Time1 and Time2 had moderate stress (76.6% and
79.6%, respectively). The multivariate regression analyses revealed gender, marital status, year
of study, and access to education funds as significant predictors of stress. Major stressors identified
were academic-related (76.3%) and environment-related (24.6%). Time management (69.6%) and
relaxation (46.1%) were the major coping strategies.
Conclusions: Moderate stress was observed among the majority of participants. Identified predictors
of stress, stressors, and coping mechanisms were similar to those previously reported in
other countries. Although most pharmacy students adopt positive strategies to mitigate stress, pharmacy
educators should further adopt holistic initiatives to help students reduce their stress.
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Keywords
Coping strategies Northern Nigeria Pharmacy students Stress Stressors Stress predictors
Citation
Okoro R.N, Biambo A.A., Jamiu M.O (2021). Perceived Stress and Its Predictors, Stressors and Coping Strategies Among Undergraduate Pharmacy Students In Northern Nigeria. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 13(7): 804-811.