Coping, resilience, and emotional wellbeing in pharmacy students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic impacting the mental wellbeing of the general public Pharmacy students may experience greater stress during this pandemic due to interruptions in classes or rotations, concerns regarding personal/family health, and social isolation from peers These changes may result in behavior shifts, difficulty concentrating, and increased use of negative coping strategies The extent to which these factors affect overall student wellbeing during a pandemic is largely unknown Research Question or Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to assess coping, resilience, personal characteristics, and emotional wellbeing among pharmacy students during the COVID-19 pandemic Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study of three pharmacy programs in California, Florida, and North Carolina, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic via an online, anonymous 71-item questionnaire using REDCap software during May-July 2020 Methods: The Emotional Wellbeing in Healthcare Professions Students Questionnaire (EWB-Q) assessed coping, personal resilience, personal characteristics in pharmacy students and determined emotional wellbeing vis-a-vis these factors Linear regression and descriptive statistics analyses were conducted using SPSS v 26 Results: Multiple linear regression indicated levels of coping strategies, personal resilience, and ethnicity (Hispanic vs non-Hispanic) explained a significant amount of the variance (approximately 30%) in emotional wellbeing scores of pharmacy students (N = 104) A significant regression equation was found, F(2,76) = 11 785, P < 000, R2 = 317, R2 adjusted = 291) No differences were noted between students in didactic coursework vs rotations Greater use of coping strategies, higher levels of resilience, and identifying as Hispanic were significant predictors of increased emotional wellbeing Conclusion: Student mental health continues to be of importance, especially during crises and pandemics Therefore, pharmacy programs should cultivate emotional wellbeing of their students Campus-based initiatives may be needed to encourage healthy coping behaviors and bolster students' personal resilience to better prepare them for providing front-line patient care in the future