Coping strategies of undergraduate students in health sciences: a

Introduction and background Students enrolled at higher education institutions experience an immense amount of stress which may result in high drop-out rates. Stress is an integral part of everyday life. However, when stress accumulates over time and no effective coping strategies are applied to manage stress, it tends to disrupt the everyday functioning of an individual, negatively affecting their health, productivity, relationships, physical well-being, quality of life and academic performance. Students without adequate coping strategies and problem-solving skills are more vulnerable, as they are unable to use the resources at their disposal to find sufficient ways to cope with their problems. They are at risk of resorting to maladaptive coping strategies such as substance and alcohol abuse. Students in health sciences programmes enroll in both theoretical and practical modules, which include a high number of work-integrated learning hours. In addition to the heavy workload, students also often experience a negative clinical learning environment when placed for work-integrated learning. Therefore, these students need additional support to cope in an evolving healthcare environment. Despite higher education institutions claiming to have support strategies in place, a high drop-out rate is still experienced, with reports of maladaptive coping strategies. Students need adequate support and adaptive coping strategies to manage stressors encountered during training. Available literature can provide insight into such coping strategies to better support undergraduate students in health sciences. Aim This study aimed to explore the existing knowledge regarding the coping strategies of undergraduate students in health sciences programmes. Methodology The researcher used the nine-step scoping review framework by Peters et al. (2020a:412) as a guide to conduct this scoping review. Using boolean operators, the researcher and an information specialist searched for literature using fifteen databases. The screening process commenced with three individuals first reviewing the titles and abstracts, followed by the full-text articles. iv From the initial 1432 records, a total of 319 full-text articles were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. One hundred and sixty three full-text articles did not meet the inclusion criteria and were excluded. Thus, 156 articles were included in the study. The data were then extracted using Google forms and transferred onto a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Data were analysed and coded. Similar codes were grouped into categories presented in tables and figures. Results The main findings of this review indicate that most studies on the coping of undergraduate students in health sciences programmes were conducted in high-income countries with a lack of literature for the African context. Majority of the literature referred to the nursing and medical profession, and a lack of research on other health sciences professions such as dentistry, dietetics, sport and exercise science, occupational therapy, optometry, paramedicine, pharmacy, physiotherapy and radiography were noted. Only nine of the included studies reported on theoretical underpinnings, models and frameworks. Emotion-focused coping strategies were mostly used by students to cope with the stressors they encountered. Most studies were descriptive in nature, conducted in a single site, with limited intervention studies. Most of the articles did not report on the sampling techniques used to select participants. Conclusion It is imperative for Health Sciences Education Institutions to develop support programmes to assist students in coping effectively with the stressors they encounter. The findings of this scoping review indicate a need for further research on the coping of undergraduate students in health sciences, especially focusing on all healthcare professions implementing such strategies. Suggestions to train nurse educators and clinical facilitators on providing adequate support for students to enable them to cope efficiently are among the recommendations of this study.