Stress Factors and Coping Strategies
Introduction
Stress is one of the most dangers faced by many people, such that if not controlled in advance may lead to psychological problems. Nonetheless, people react differently to this threat. Some can overcome it whereas others suffocate in depression and some instances psychological trauma. Based on the research conducted by Ong et al. (2013), The analysis showed that older women tend to experience higher levels of chronic stress than older men. Researchers have investigated the stressors and mechanisms to deal with them. In the article, Mona Soliman (2014) examines the stress factors and coping mechanisms among medical students. The author successfully outlined the stressors and some measures to deal with the stressors. Nevertheless, the study was not without disappointments as it had shortcomings including sample size, the involvement of first-year students only and use of questionnaires which might have interfered with general findings.
Summary
In the article Perception of Stress and Coping Strategies by Medical Students at King Saud University, Mona Soliman (2014) presents the subject of stress and anxiety among medical students. According to the author, stress arises from the challenging and demanding courses that students undertake over long durations. This present study aimed to evaluate the sources and severity of anxiety and stress among first-year medical students and the strategies of coping with stress. The researcher used a cross-sectional study approved by the college’s Ethics Committee. Three hundred and nineteen (188 males and 131 females), first-year students in King Saud University College of Medicine, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, filled self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaires were served at the end of the academic year of 2012-2013. The questions were subdivided into two sections, twenty-two stress factor items and seventeen coping strategies items. A five-point Likert scale was used in measuring the responses quantitatively. Results showed that one hundred and forty-five students (40 males and 105 females) completed filling the questionnaires and submitted them. The students’ everyday stress factors were mainly extracurricular activities, competitiveness, tests, family problems, excessive subject content, and lack of time. Coping strategies that most students identified with were priority settings, eating well, respecting individual limits, spending time with their families, participating in some leisure activities, and avoiding comparisons. The researcher identified that the prevalence of stress factors among students pursuing medicine was high. However, the author also noted that students had ways to cope with stress and anxiety. Mona Soliman(2014) asserted that student councils and other mentorship programmes could help students in dealing with stress and anxieties.
Critique
Researchers have explored the major causes of stress and how to cope with them. According to Corbin et al. (2014), alcohol is one of the major causes of stress 1. As the researchers focus on different communal groups on this stress subject, Mona Soliman(2014) focused on medical students. In the article: “Perception of stress and coping strategies by medical students,” Mona Soliman(2014) aimed to evaluate the stress factors and how to overcome them. The study had limitations regarding sample size, First-year students, and the use of questionnaires. In this article, the samples were collected from King Saud University. Only first-year students were sampled. However, the sample size used was relatively small to provide clearer results. Huang et al. (2014) argue that the sample size significantly influences the observed data2. The researcher sought to examine 319 participants, but only 145 took part in the study.
Although the study managed to show that the student council offices helped the medical students cope with stress, the study did not show us the mechanisms and strategies that the student councils were using to help the students. Also, the first-year students’ involvement only could not generalize the results for a larger group. The involvement of students in subsequent years could have helped to provide more accurate findings. The participants were to fill self-administered questionnaires, which might have interfered with the results. The questionnaire contained 22 cross-ended questions, which were to be filled in English. The questionnaires were able to identify stress-causing factors, including family problems, lack of time to study, and competitiveness.
Additionally, the researcher was able to identify the stress coping strategies, which include avoiding comparisons, setting priorities, and participating in leisure activities. However, due to cross ended questions, the participants might have given inaccurate data, which could have led to wrong findings. Also, ethnic bias is evident as the questionnaires were to be filled in English only. The authors could have developed questionnaires in other languages to enhance the participation of every ethnic group available. Nevertheless, this study is an essential study aimed at directing its effort on a significant subject regarding stress factors among medical students. The author aimed at evaluating stress-causing factors and how the students can overcome them. As earlier mentioned, the researcher successfully showed stress-causing factors and coping strategies. The author sampled a smaller group, involved only first-year medical students and administered close-ended questionnaires to participants. As such, the researcher could not fully rely on the findings. Therefore, the future is needed to evaluate the impact of student support mechanisms and stress coping strategies used by the University student council.
Conclusion
This study was successful but failed to provide clearer results due to its shortcomings, including a smaller sample, the participation of the first-year medical students only and the use of self-administered questionnaires. The author aimed at evaluating stress-causing factors and how to overcome them. Significant results were evident as the causes of stress and measures to cope with them were identified. The stressors included extracurricular activities, competitiveness, tests, family problems, excessive subject content, and lack of time to study. The coping mechanisms identified were avoiding comparisons, healthy eating, observing individual limits, spending time with their families, participating in some leisure activities, and setting priorities. Additionally, the author identified that university student council are playing a vital role in supporting the students in handling stress. Since the mechanisms used by the council are unclear, the author recommended for future research to be conducted to evaluate the impact of student support mechanisms and stress coping strategies used by the University student council.
References
- Corbin WR, Farmer NM, Nolen-Hoekesma S. Relations among stress, coping strategies, coping motives, alcohol consumption and related problems: A mediated moderation model. Addictive Behaviors. 2013 Apr 1;38(4):1912-9. Available at:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460312003954
Huang X, Hanley KJ, O’Sullivan C, Kwok FC. Effect of sample size on the response of DEM samples with a realistic grading. Particuology. 2014 Aug 1;15:107-15. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674200113001880
- Ong FS, Phillips DR, Chai ST. Life events and stress: Do older men and women in Malaysia cope differently as consumers?. Journal of cross-cultural gerontology. 2013 Jun 1;28(2):195-210. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10823-013-9190-9
- Soliman M. Perception of stress and coping strategies by medical students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences. 2014 Mar 1;9(1):30-5. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1658361213000814?via%3Dihub