Anxiety and stress associated with self-esteem and sense of coherence in undergraduate students in dentistry: a qualitative and quantitative study in two countries

• Grant number: 16/17070-0
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Effective date (Start): July 03, 2017
• Effective date (End): July 02, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Social and Preventive Dentistry
• Principal researcher: Rosana de Fátima Possobon
• Grantee: Rosana de Fátima Possobon
• Host: Scott L Tomar
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba (FOP). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Research place: University of Florida, Gainesville (UF), United States

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety and stress among university students in health areas are becoming more frequent and can be generated or aggravated by various situations of the academic and social environment, being one of the possible precursors of the burnout syndrome, which affects many professionals. The sense of coherence and self-esteem could be associated with greater or lesser degree of anxiety and stress. Objective: To investigate levels of anxiety and stress among dental students in Brazil and in USA and check for association with a sense of coherence and self-esteem, and identify factors related to academic and social life that may trigger these processes and coping. Methodology: Participants will be students of Dentistry of Piracicaba Dental School (Brazil) and of College of Dentistry at the University of Florida (USA), who will answer questions about anxiety, stress, self-esteem and sense of coherence, socioeconomic and demographic conditions and social and academic situations perceived as stressful or anxiogenic and coping. Qualitative analysis uses the methodology of the Thematic Content Analysis (Gomes method), descriptive statistics and individual analysis by Fisher's or Q2 test, at the 5% significance level, to test the association between the dependent variables (anxiety and stress) and independent (socioeconomic, demographic, self-esteem and sense of coherence). The variables that present p<0,20 the individual analysis will be tested in the multiple regression model. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals are estimated for the variables that remain in the regression model at the level of 5% (SAS 9.2). (AU)