The relationship of marital status and living arrangement to stress among dental students

A survey conducted at one dental school was designed to assess the relationship between dental students' perceived level of stress and two possible indicators of social support, marital status, and living arrangements; to examine whether sex differences occurred in this relationship; and to assess the effect of marital status and gender on students' preferences for support services. A total of 484 students were surveyed, with 298 completing the survey instrument, resulting in a 62 percent response rate. The findings indicated that academic pressures are responsible for higher levels of stress among dental students than are personal, nonacademic stresses, with the exception of financial pressures. Only three of 32 sources of stress were affected significantly by marital status: "loneliness," "difficulties in love relationships," and "child-care responsibilities." The relationship between marital status and stress differed by sex; never-married females and separated/widowed/divorced males reported higher levels of stress than their counterparts. Living arrangement showed significant differences for four of the 32 stressors (the three listed above and "sex-related problems") and appeared to provide a better measure of social support than marital status. Nonacademic support programs were rated by students, regardless of marital status, as more desirable than those that focused on academic skills.