Resilient Coping is More Important Than Previous Virtual Learning Experience: Predicting Pharmacy Student Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Michael H Campbell; Sandeep Maharaj; Katija Khan; Bidyadhar Sa; O Peter Adams; Md Anwarul Azim Majumder

doi:10.2147/AMEP.S402178

Resilient Coping is More Important Than Previous Virtual Learning Experience: Predicting Pharmacy Student Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Adv Med Educ Pract. 2023 Apr 28:14:443-451. doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S402178. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Michael H Campbell¹, Sandeep Maharaj², Katija Khan^{2

3}, Bidyadhar Sa², O Peter Adams¹, Md Anwarul Azim Majumder¹

Affiliations

¹ The Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Bridgetown, Barbados.
² The Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
³ The Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

Abstract

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a swift transition to online learning in medical and health sciences. This study investigated the associations of previous experience with online learning, current confidence with online learning, and resilient coping skills with perceived stress reported by pharmacy students during the emergency transition to online learning.

Methods: Undergraduate pharmacy students (N=113, response rate = 41%) completed an online, self-report, cross-sectional survey during April-June 2020. Measures included Likert items measuring prior experience and current comfort levels with online learning, the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS), and the Perceived Stress Scale 10-Item Version (PSS-10). Experience, comfort with online learning, reported scores, and internal consistency for the BRCS and PSS-10 were summarized. A linear regression model examined the associations of prior experience with online education, gender, and resilient coping with perceived stress.

Results: Of the 113 respondents (78% female, mean age 22.3 years), > 50% had only occasional prior experience with online learning, coursework, and examinations, but 63% expressed confidence with online learning. Mean PSS-10 and BRCS scores were 23.8 and 13.3, respectively, and both scales demonstrated good internal consistency (α > 0.80). BRCS score was the single predictor of the PSS-10 score (r² = 0.18, p < 0.001). Female gender was not a significant predictor (p = 0.11). A multiple regression model explained moderate variation in perceived stress (adjusted R² = 0.19).

Conclusion: PSS-10 and BRCS scores indicated moderate levels of stress and coping skills among students during online teaching. Most students had some prior exposure to online learning, coursework, and examinations. Higher resiliency scores, but not prior online learning experience, predicted lower perceived stress.

Keywords: Caribbean; brief resilient coping scale; health professions; online learning; pandemic; perceived stress scale; pharmacy education.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.