Stress, cortisol levels and the adaptation of Dental students to the academic environment

• Autor(a) principal: Saliba, Tania Adas
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Sandre, Amanda Santos, Sumida, Doris Hissako, Garbin, Clea Adas Saliba, Moimaz, Suzely Adas Saliba
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista da ABENO (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revabeno.emnuvens.com.br/revabeno/article/view/689
• topic: Dental Students. Cortisol. Stress.; Estudantes de Odontologia. Cortisol. Estresse.

The aim of this research was to investigate the presence of stress, anxiety, and depression and to analyze the academic experiences of Dental freshman students.  Saliva samples, from 114 students, were collected to dose the cortisol hormone during exams and classes to analyze the physiological stress in both situations. Those who took anti-depression medication or did not sign the Informed Consent Form were excluded from the research. Two valid questionnaires were applied, the QVA-r (Questionnaire of Academic Experiences - reduced version) and DASS 21 (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21). The correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney test were determined with a 5% significance level.  Of the total number of participants, the majority were women, with a mean age of 20.06 (+ 2.65) and 18.96 (+ 1.78) years old. The presence of stress was high among the students (45%) and was related to the Personal (-0.518) and Interpersonal (-0.251) domains.  The cortisol levels during tests showed a correlation with the highest scores in the Study (0.197), Career (0.347) and Institutional (0.196) domains.  From all the students questioned, 81% left the parents’ home to study.  The presence of stress, anxiety, and depression was related to the students’ interaction with their peers and to personal aspects.  The highest levels of cortisol were in those more adapted in the Study, Career and Institutional domains.