title: Stress levels of dental students at the Fiji School of Medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Fiji School of Medicine is the primary health care educational institution in Fiji and possesses the only dental school in the Pacific. The oral health programme is a multi-entry/exit programme. The aim of this study was to determine the perceived sources or stress and at risk groups within the undergraduate oral health care programmes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A modified version of the Dental Environment Stress questionnaire was used to assess levels of stress for 41 items.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 115 undergraduate students participated (response rate = 84%). Of the respondents, 54% were male and 46% were female; 55% were Indo-Fijians, 18% Indigenous-Fijians, 8% Polynesians, 7% Micronesians, whilst Melanesians and others were each 6%. Moderate to severe stressful items were: full loaded day, followed by criticism from clinical supervisors in front of patients, amount of assigned work, fear of failing a course or year, examination and grades, financial resources, fear of employment after graduation and fear of facing parents after failure. Of the questionnaire items, 24% had significant differences across year groups. Overall, third years were most stressed followed by fourth years, fifth years, first years and second years. Indo-Fijians were the most stressed, followed by Indigenous-Fijians, Polynesians, others and Melanesians. Females were significantly more stressed than males for 27% of items. Private fee-paying students were more stressed than sponsored students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall stress levels were slight to moderate and were higher in senior years, Indo-Fijians, females and private fee-paying students.
authors: Fiji School of Medicine, Private Mail Bag, Suva, Fiji. zacmorse@hotmail.com
authors: Zac
authors: Z
authors: Morse
authors: Uraia
authors: U
authors: Dravo
mesh_terms: D004497:Education, Dental; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005367:Fiji; D005382:Financing, Personal; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012577:Schools, Medical; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013732:Test Anxiety Scale; D016526:Workload