Evaluation of grit and its associated factors among undergraduate pharmacy students from 14 Asian and Middle Eastern countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Assessment of Academic Resilience and Its Associated Factors Among Pharmacy Students in Twelve Countries

OBJECTIVE

Academic resilience, a critical determinant of academic achievement, is affected by various factors. There is a paucity of large-scale international assessments of academic resilience among pharmacy students. Therefore, this study aimed to assess academic resilience among pharmacy students in 12 countries and to evaluate factors associated with their academic resilience levels.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey-based study was conducted among randomly selected pharmacy students in 12 countries: Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. After pilot testing, the validated 30-item academic resilience scale (ARS) was used for the assessment. The data were collected between November 1, 2022 and April 15, 2023. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed, as appropriate.

RESULTS

A total of 3950 were received from the 12 participating countries. The mean age was 21.68 ± 2.62 years. About two-thirds of the responses were from female participants and those studying for Bachelor of Pharmacy degrees. Overall, the findings show moderate academic resilience, which varied across countries. The median (IQR) of the total ARS-30 was 114 (103-124). Females exhibited lower negative affective and emotional response subscale levels than males. There were significant cross-country variations in the ARS-30 and all subscales. The highest overall levels were reported for Sudan, Pakistan, and Nigeria and the lowest were reported for Indonesia and Türkiye. Students in private universities tended to have higher overall ARS levels than public university students. Higher academic performance was significantly associated with ARS levels, whereas those with excellent performance exhibited the highest ARS levels. Students with exercise routines had higher ARS levels than those without exercise routines. Finally, students who were engaged in extracurricular activities had higher ARS levels than those who did not participate in these activities.

CONCLUSION

The study offers insights into the factors affecting academic resilience in pharmacy students across several countries. The findings could guide interventions and support activities to improve resilience and academic outcomes.

Assessment of burnout, resilience, and thriving among academic health professionals: findings from an international study

Introduction

Burnout, resilience, and thriving significantly impact academics, particularly in health professions, where responsibilities are extensive. This study aimed to explore these constructs among academic health professionals, examining sociodemographic and work-related factors influencing these outcomes.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among academic health professionals via web-based professional networks from August 2022 to February 2023. Validated tools were used, and descriptive and inferential statistics were applied.

Results

505 participants were included, predominantly female (63%), with a mean age of 38.15 ± 9.6 years. High burnout was reported by 10.9%, 13.7% experienced exhaustion, and 6.3% were disengaged. Resilience and thriving were moderate at 59.2 and 51.9%, respectively. Age correlated negatively with burnout (r = -0.131, p = 0.003) but positively with resilience (r = 0.178, p < 0.001). Females reported higher exhaustion (p = 0.014), while males showed greater resilience (p = 0.016). Instructors exhibited lower resilience compared to assistant professors (p < 0.001) and associate professors (p < 0.001). Those at public universities reported higher exhaustion than those at private universities (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Variable levels of burnout, resilience, and thriving were observed among academic health professionals, influenced by sociodemographic and work-related factors. Interventions targeting resilience and thriving may mitigate burnout risk and enhance engagement among academics in health professions.

Academic Entitlement Among Pharmacy Students in the Arab World: A Multi-National Exploratory Study

OBJECTIVE

The study's aim was to explore academic entitlement among pharmacy students in different pharmacy colleges in the Arab World and assess associated factors.

METHODS

This study design was a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected using a self-administered electronic questionnaire posted across pharmacy college networks in 10 Arab countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates). The electronic survey was administered through Qualtrics Survey Software, and its link was open from January 23, 2022 to May 13, 2022. The multiple linear regression measured the association between different predictors and the academic entitlement.

RESULTS

A total of 2386 surveys were received from students studying in 10 different Arab countries. The majority of responding students were male and studying in a Bachelor of pharmacy program. Students reported an agreeable attitude in 4 areas: rewards for efforts, customer orientation, customer service expectation, and general academic entitlement. In accommodation, a neutral attitude was reported, while they reported a disagreeing attitude in the responsibility avoidance domain. In grade haggling, the 3 items of the domain had different attitudes. Only 3 factors had a significant negative association with student entitlement (professionalism, GPA, and year in the study program).

CONCLUSION

The academic entitlement scores among pharmacy students in the Arab World were high and had a negative association with professionalism perceptions. This study finding is a call for pharmacy programs to consider the effect of academic entitlement on pharmacy education and to obtain in-depth evidence on its magnitude and associated factors.

Impact of resilience-based intervention on emotional regulation, grit and life satisfaction among female Egyptian and Saudi nursing students: A randomized controlled trial

AIM

Evaluate and compare the impact of a resilience-based intervention on emotional regulation, grit and life satisfaction among female Egyptian and Saudi nursing students.

BACKGROUND

Nursing students should experience a comprehensive learning environment since they are mind-body-spirit creatures. Therefore, nursing education should emphasize growing students' physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being in addition to their knowledge, skills and attitudes.

DESIGN

This study followed a parallel arm randomized controlled trial design. Study participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or control groups in a (1:1) ratio. It was conducted between January 2023 and the end of April 2023.

METHOD

Students were randomly allocated to the eight-week resilience intervention (n= 60) or a control (n= 60) group (half of the students in each group were from each country). The intervention group received a pamphlet and attended eight weekly 15-person sessions on resilience, grit (perseverance), emotional regulation and self-care. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Short Grit Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scales were administered pre- and immediately post-intervention.

RESULTS

Between pre- and post-intervention, there were significant improvements in grit (from 41.374.27 to 51.235.22 among Egyptian students with an effect size of 0.663 and from 42.974.30 to 54.103.87 among Saudi students with an effect size of 0.800), as well as mean emotional regulation (from 36.635.11 to 55.707.51 among Egyptian students with an effect size of 0.818 and from 44.606.87 to 61. With a substantial effect size of 0.850 (p0.001), Egyptian nursing students experienced a more significant rise in mean life satisfaction than Saudi nursing students (18.336.54 to 29.305.14).

CONCLUSION

Resilience-based interventions enhanced emotional regulation, grit and life satisfaction in Egyptian and Saudi female nursing students. Grit, resilience and emotional regulation should be incorporated into nurse training to equip female students with the necessary values and protective factors to succeed in their studies. Given the unique challenges and stressors that female nursing students may face, nursing programs and institutions must provide resources and support services to help students manage stress and build resilience.

Burnout, grit and resilience among Jordanian orthopedic surgeons: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Burnout is a serious issue that affects physicians more than the general population; however, those with higher levels of grit and resilience have been shown to experience lower levels of burnout. The primary aim was to determine the prevalence of burnout among Jordanian orthopedic surgeons, explore its risk factors, and investigate the relationship between burnout and grit and resilience.

METHODS

We conducted a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study targeting a total of 180 orthopedic surgeons attending the yearly Jordanian National Orthopedic Conference (JNOC). Non-random sampling (i.e., convenience) was utilized to recruit participants. The abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory, short grit scale, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were used. Scores were examined using the Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, and Spearman's rho tests, of which results were corrected using the Bonferroni method.

RESULTS

Among 135 respondents, 62.2% were specialists and 37.8% were residents. About 52.0% practiced in public hospitals. Approximately 69.0% worked for more than 50 h weekly. The prevalence of burnout among all participants was 45.2% with more frequency among residents (66.7%). Burnout and the participants' grit and resilience showed an inverse relationship (ρ = -0.441 and ρ = -0.312, respectively). Age (ρ = 0.337), number of children (ρ = 0.245), and years of experience (ρ = 0.331) were positively correlated with grit. The median score for grit was higher in physicians who had or are having their residency outside Jordan (p < 0.001). Age (ρ = 0.233) and years of experience (ρ = 0.269) were positively correlated with resilience.

CONCLUSION

Jordanian orthopedic surgeons face significant rates of burnout. Institutional efforts should be taken to detect and prevent burnout in addition to enhancing the grit and resilience among orthopedic professionals.