Prevalence and Predictors of Anxiety in Healthcare Professions Students

Abstract

Purpose: The prevalence and severity of anxiety among students is increasing. Elevated levels of anxiety may decrease students’ academic performance, professionalism, and their ability to manage elements of patient care. Anxiety and the impact of anxiety have been well studied in medical and nursing students, but it has not been investigated as much in other healthcare professions programs. The purpose of the study is to describe the prevalence and determine predictors of anxiety in healthcare professions students. Methods: Three-hundred and fifty-one, first and second year Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Science in Communication Science Disorders, and Master of Physician Assistant studies students were recruited to participate during the fall semester. Fifty-two percent, or 183 students completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS), the tools used to assess different anxiety levels. Results: Fifty-one percent of females and 37.5% of males have at least moderately high test anxiety. Eighty-three percent of students have greater than normal State Anxiety and 56% of students have higher than normal Trait Anxiety levels. The regression models identified several variables for predicting WTAS, STAI-trait (STAI-T), and STAI-state (STAI-S) scores. However, a large part of variance was unaccounted for, indicating there are other factors contributing to anxiety were not assessed. Discussion: Healthcare professions students have higher anxiety levels compared to normative values in the general population. Qualitative research to explore further the etiology of students’ anxiety is warranted. Keywords: Anxiety, Communication sciences and disorders, Health professions education, physical therapy, physician assistant