COPING STRATEGIES FOR ANXIETY IN MEDICAL STUDENTS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev7n11-166Keywords:
Anxiety, Medical Students, Mental Health, Coping Strategies, MindfulnessAbstract
Objective: To present the strategies used to cope with anxiety in medical students. Method: Integrative review in the Medicines and the National Institutes of Health (PUBMED), Latin American Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). In SciELO and BVS (LILACS), the platform's advanced search mechanism was used, combining the keywords (stress, anxiety, medicine, medical students, coping strategies), cognates and the use of Boolean operators. In the PubMed® database, Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) were used associated with “Anxiety” OR “Anxiety Disorders”[Mesh] OR “Occupational Stress”[Mesh] AND “Medicine”[Mesh] AND “Students”[Mesh]) OR “Students, Medical”[Mesh] OR “Education, Medical, Undergraduate”[Mesh]) AND “coping strategies”[Mesh]. Results: A total of 1478 articles were found, and inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, resulting in 1460 publications. After full-text reading, 18 articles were included. Conclusions: The data show that adopting coping strategies is fundamental to mitigating the negative effects of anxiety. This involves institutional interventions with the creation of programs focused on promoting mental health, mindfulness practices, physical exercise, accessible psychological support, and curricular restructuring with time dedicated to leisure and socialization. Furthermore, the implementation of coping strategies and artistic expression, as well as a welcoming and less competitive academic environment, help reduce stress and strengthen emotional well-being.
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