Aims: Stress is a common issue among students enrolled in graduate programs. Evidence suggests the specific factors driving and associated with stress may be unique to the characteristics of individual programs. The purpose of this study was to examine perceived stress among first- and second-year graduate students in a speech-language pathology (SLP) master's program.
Methods: Fifty-one SLP students completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and three open-ended qualitative questions to elicit information about their stress. Non-parametric analyses were utilized to compare mean total PSS scores and four select PSS questions. General themes were identified for the open-ended questions.
Results: Second-year students experienced significantly higher stress (18.5/40.0) than first-year students (15.3/40.0) (U=217.5, p=0.048). Forty-eight percent of second-year students and 25% of first-year students reported moderate stress (PSS scores ≥20). Second-year students were more likely to report issues coping (p=0.013) and feeling overcome with difficulties (p=0.016) than first-year students.
Conclusions: Graduate students enrolled in SLP programs experience high levels of stress throughout their clinical training programs. Although there are some overlapping facilitators, the pro¬gram design and increasing responsibilities appear to influence stress in unique ways. Adjusting to the demands of academic/clinical responsibilities are key facilitators of stress.