Coping strategies of healthcare professional students for stress incurred during their studies: a literature review

Abstract

Background

Stress in healthcare professional students is well-documented, however coping strategies and their relationship with stress has not been comprehensively reviewed. It is necessary for students to use positive coping strategies to effectively reduce stress levels.

Aims

The aim of this review is to identify coping strategies of healthcare professional students and their consequences.

Methods

Studies conducted from 2010 to 2020 on coping strategies utilised by healthcare students were reviewed. An electronic database search was performed in January 2020 of three databases CINAHL, SCOPUS and PubMed.

Results

Twenty-two studies were included in this review, using a wide range of survey instruments including the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE) Inventory and the Coping Behaviour Inventory Common coping strategies utilised by healthcare students include problem-focused strategies such as planning, problem-solving and active coping. Coping strategies tended to vary depending on student’s location, year of their course, gender and age. Positive coping strategies, such as problem-focused strategies, were associated with reduced stress levels and improved psychological health. Other emotion-focused coping strategies identified included acceptance, self-distraction, and optimism.

Conclusions

Findings may provide direction for third-level institutions in designing interventions (such as encouraging exercise) promoting the use of positive coping strategies.

Keywords:

• Coping strategies
• stress
• third-level education
• healthcare students
• review

Author contributions

KF and KDM conceived the idea for the article. KF performed the literature review, data analysis, and drafted the article, while KDM provided support at each stage and critically revised the work.

Disclosure statement

Consent to publish: No consent was required for this study as data was obtained from studies published in scientific journals.