Perceived sources of stress and stress coping strategies among junior dental students at Ajman university

The aim of our study was to evaluate the sources of stress among junior students in the dental college, their perceived levels of stress and coping strategies they adopt. This study was conducted during the fall semester of academic year 2018-2019 at the College of Dentistry at Ajman University, United Arab Emirates. 227 students answered a self-administered set of validated questionnaires, including Modified Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and COPE inventory. The study showed that junior dental students of Ajman University, perceived stress across the two junior years and females perceived more stress than males. The factors of "study load'' and "examinations" were identified among the main sources of stress. Coping strategies adopted by the students showed gender differences in the coping methods used. The regression analysis showed that the active coping and suppression of competing activities had a strong negative correlation to the PSS scores. The factors "focus on" and the "venting of emotions" however, had positive association with perceived stress scores. Junior dental students at Ajman University displayed relatively high-perceived stress scores. The study load and examinations were identified among the main source of stress. Incorporating stress management methods and implementing new pedagogical tools is necessary to reduce the level of stress in dental education.