A Large-scale Multicenter Study of Academic Resilience and Well-being in Pharmacy Education

Abstract

Objective. Health care students are at particular risk of stress and exposure to adverse events, negatively affecting well-being and performance and leading to increased attrition. Academic resilience has been identified as one factor helping mitigate such negative effects in students. Despite this, there is limited research exploring the topic in pharmacy education. Methods. Using a cross-sectional survey design, students attending three schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom (N=1161) completed psychometric measures of academic resilience and well-being. Comparative, correlational, and regression analyses were conducted, exploring the relationship between academic resilience and well-being. Results. Academic resilience and well-being were significantly lower in pharmacy students compared to other student populations. Academic resilience was a positive correlate and predictor for well-being. Academic resilience was highest in first-year students, declined over subsequent years of study, and varied by pharmacy school and gender but not ethnicity. Conclusion. Introducing and embedding strategies to enhance academic resilience in pharmacy education may improve well-being and performance and reduce attrition.