Evaluation of stress among undergraduate dental students in Al-Qadisiyah University-Iraq

Aim of the study. To explore the self-reported source
of stress among dental students and to identify the
role of gender, marital status, and study level on
the perceived stressors. Materials and methods. A
modified self-reported questionnaire was completed
by undergraduate dental students registered at Al-
Qadisiyah University, College of Dentistry. The
questionnaire consisting of 41 close-ended questions
was divided into seven domains. Stress was assessed
in a response to four items. The collected data were
analyzed for frequencies, means, and comparisons
between the study participants in relation to the gender,
marital status, and study levels. Nonparametric tests
were used with confidence interval 95% (α error =
0.05). Results. A total of 185 dental students with mean
age of 19.86±1.40 years completed the questionnaire.
There was a prevalence of females (1.4:1) and single
students rather than married ones. The “workload”
domain was the highest stressor domain while the
“social stressors” domain was the lowest. Among
the stressor questions, the most stressor factor was
“examinations and quizzes” while the least stressor
was “difficulty of class work”. Comparison between
the participants revealed more concern in females,
married, and pre-doctoral students in most of the
stress-provoking factors. Conclusion. Considerable
levels of stress were observed among dental students.
The study also identified stressors affecting the
students’ academic life. It is important to include stress
management programs in the curriculum of the dental
college.