Factors associated with academic stress in dentistry students at a private university

Herrera-Plasencia P.; Ruiz-Cisneros C.; Salas-Huamaní J.R.; Becerra-Atoche E. · Revista Cubana de Medicina Militar (2025)

Resumen

Introduction: Academic stress in dental students is a complex response to high academic and clinical demands, affecting their performance, emotional well-being and professional development. Objective: To determine the factors associated with academic stress in dental students at a private university. Methods: The study was descriptive and cross-sectional. The sample consisted of 173 dental students. Data were collected using the Dental Environment Stress questionnaire, consisting of 30 questions with Likert scale response options designed to identify the main stressors during dental training. The variables analyzed were gender and clinical progression (preclinical and clinical). To evaluate the association between the variables, the chi-square statistical test was applied with a significance level of 5%. Results: The main factors associated with higher levels of stress in the students were unpunctuality and patient absences for appointments (52.33%) and fear of failing one or more courses (45.93%). Also, stress levels were significantly higher in female students (p<0.05) and in those taking clinical subjects (p<0.05). Conclusions: Fear of academic failure and clinical demands are major stress factors for dental students. Women experience higher levels of stress due to academic and clinical pressure.

Instituciones: Universidad César Vallejo