Heart rate variability, perceived stress and willingness to seek counselling in undergraduate students

Objective: The primary aim was to determine the level of stress in Czech pharmacy students using both subjective and physiological markers of stress throughout their study. The secondary aim was to investigate association of stress with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, and to determine the predictors of the likelihood of enrolling in psychotherapy counselling.

Methods: Design: A prospective observational study.

Setting: Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

Subjects: 175 s-year pharmacy students in 2016, 149 students in 2017, and 51 students in 2018.

Outcome measures: Perceived stress scale (PSS-10), heart rate variability (HRV, emWavePro), a self-administered survey (sociodemographic and clinical data, likelihood of enrolling in psychotherapy counselling).

Results: The average PSS score was 18.3 ± 6.7. There were no significant changes in PSS-10 and HRV parameters between 2016 and 2018. There was a significant negative correlation between PSS-10 and LF power (p = 0.012). Female gender and poor health status were more frequently observed among the respondents with impaired HRV (p = 0.026 for female gender and p = 0.025 and p = 0.042 for poor health status). Fifty-nine percent of students would be likely to enroll in psychotherapy counselling, with men being significantly less inclined to participate compared to women (p = 0.01).

Conclusion: Czech pharmacy students experience moderate levels of stress throughout their studies, which correlates with physiological markers of stress as well as their overall health. Push and pull factors of using mind-body interventions to manage stress should be further examined, especially in high risk groups.