Stress Sources of Physical Therapy Students’ and Behaviors of Coping in Clinical Practice: A Palestinian Perspective

Abstract

Physical therapy students will be exposed to stressors across the clinical practice. The aggregate stress conveys to the new behavioral responses that occur through clinical training. The study aimed to examine the stress sources faced by physical therapy students and behaviors of coping used in their clinical practice. A cross-section study with a sample of 83 physical therapy students. Data were collected through the Perceived Stress Scale and Coping Behavioral Inventory Scale. The mean perceived stress by the respondents was 66.3 (standard deviation [SD] = 17.01) and the coping behaviors mean was 35.15 (SD = 9.67). The most common type of factor stressors perceived was looking for care of patients (M = 16.6 ± 4.4) and the most common coping behavior was problem-solving (M = 13.8±6.6). The study confirmed that the perceived stress and coping behaviors of physical therapy students were moderate in clinical practice. Stress from the care of patients is the greatest stressful, and problem solving was the greatest coping.