title: Coping strategies and the Salutogenic Model in future oral health professionals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Attention to the role of context in shaping individuals' coping strategies is necessary. This study used the Salutogenic Model (SM) as a framework to identify the coping strategies of oral health profession students from three countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students from Australia, New Zealand and Chile were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study, and were given a questionnaire including socio-demographics, the Perceived Stress Scale, The SOC-13 and the Brief COPE. Descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and profile analysis were computed using SPSS v 20.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight-hundred and ninety-seven valid questionnaires were returned, achieving a 44 % response rate. The coping dimension that the participants most commonly reported using was "Active Coping" with a mean value of 5.9 ± 1.5. Chilean respondents reported higher stress levels (19.8 vs. 17.7) and a lower Sense of Coherence (55.6 vs. 58.0) compared to Australian/New Zealand participants (p < 0.001). The SOC was positively correlated with active coping (p < 0.01) and positive reframing (p < 0.01). Profile analysis showed that when the differences in responses by sex were accounted for, there was no significant effect by country on the coping strategies used (p < 0.32).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This initial investigation provides insights into the students' coping strategies and the validity of the SM. Students reporting high SOC scores where those who demonstrated the use of active coping and positive reframing as strategies to deal with stressful situations, which indicates the accuracy of the theoretical framework of the SM in health education environments. The results also suggest that a distinctive coping strategy pattern may apply to all participants, regardless of their country and sex.
authors: Melbourne Dental School, The University of Melbourne, 5th floor, 720 Swanston St, Parkville, 3010, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. karlagambetta@gmail.com.
authors: Karla
authors: K
authors: Gambetta-Tessini
authors: Melbourne Dental School, The University of Melbourne, 5th floor, 720 Swanston St, Parkville, 3010, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors: Rodrigo
authors: R
authors: Mariño
authors: Melbourne Dental School, The University of Melbourne, 5th floor, 720 Swanston St, Parkville, 3010, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: Morgan
authors: Higher Education Development Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors: Vivienne
authors: V
authors: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002321:Career Choice; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009042:Motivation; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009909:Oral Health / Q000193:education*; D011340:Problem Solving; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D013335:Students, Dental / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Australia; Chile; Coping skills; Dental; New Zealand