Coping strategies of healthcare professional students for stress incurred during their studies: a literature review

Background: Stress in healthcare professional students is well-documented, however coping strategies and their relationship with stress has not been comprehensively reviewed. It is necessary for students to use positive coping strategies to effectively reduce stress levels. Aims: The aim of this review is to identify coping strategies of healthcare professional students and their consequences. Methods: Studies conducted from 2010 to 2020 on coping strategies utilised by healthcare students were reviewed. An electronic database search was performed in January 2020 of three databases CINAHL, SCOPUS and PubMed. Results: Twenty-two studies were included in this review, using a wide range of survey instruments including the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief COPE) Inventory and the Coping Behaviour Inventory Common coping strategies utilised by healthcare students include problem-focused strategies such as planning, problem-solving and active coping. Coping strategies tended to vary depending on student’s location, year of their course, gender and age. Positive coping strategies, such as problem-focused strategies, were associated with reduced stress levels and improved psychological health. Other emotion-focused coping strategies identified included acceptance, self-distraction, and optimism. Conclusions: Findings may provide direction for third-level institutions in designing interventions (such as encouraging exercise) promoting the use of positive coping strategies.