Michelle C. Arnett, Yuki Sawada, Michael D. Evans, Naoko Adachi, Shiho Kino, Kayoko Shinada, Danielle Rulli
The US DH students reported significantly higher stress levels than Japanese DH students, as measured by DES scores. The US DH students also exhibited higher resilience, as indicated by ER89 scores, compared to Japanese DH students. However, higher resilience was not associated with reduced stress levels in either group. Personal resilience may not function as a direct mechanism for lowering perceived stress among DH students.
OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the perceived stressors and resilience factors among dental hygiene (DH) students in the United States (US) and Japan. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to a convenience sample of DH students from two US DH programs and one DH program in Japan. A 38-item paper survey was disseminated at one time-point in February 2024 to each student group. The survey included demographic items, the modified 38-item Dental Environment Stress (DES) questionnaire, and the 14-item Ego-Resilience (ER89) Scale. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages) were calculated, and DES and ER89 scores were compared using t-tests and categorical characteristics using chi-square tests of association. Analyses were conducted using R version 4.2.2. RESULTS: A total of 146 students participated (US n = 107; Japan n = 39). The US students reported significantly higher overall stress (DES score: 87.39 [16.20]) compared to Japanese students (76.79 [16.47]; p = 0.001). However, US students demonstrated significantly higher ego-resilience (ER89 score 42.65 [5.97]) than Japanese students (39.90 [6.81]; p = 0.02). Higher stress was weakly correlated with lower ego-resilience overall (r = -0.2715, p = 0.019). This correlation appeared stronger in US students than Japanese students (r = -0.27 vs. -0.10, p = 0.38). CONCLUSION: The US DH students reported significantly higher stress levels than Japanese DH students, as measured by DES scores. The US DH students also exhibited higher resilience, as indicated by ER89 scores, compared to Japanese DH students. However, higher resilience was not associated with reduced stress levels in either group. Personal resilience may not function as a direct mechanism for lowering perceived stress among DH students.