Navigating Depression and Building Resilience: Coping Strategies among Healthcare Students

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms and the coping mechanisms employed by students at a private healthcare university in Malaysia. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a private university in Negeri Sembilan in November 2022. Data were collected from 293 health science diploma students (Nursing, Pharmacy, Medical Imaging, and Physiotherapy) using the pre-validated Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Brief-COPE inventory through convenient sampling. Foundation and business students were excluded. Descriptive statistics were applied using SPSS version 26.0 for data analysis. RESULTS: The results show that 73.7% of respondent’s experience sadness, and 41.3% feel discouraged about the future. Feelings of failure are reported by 37.2%, with 3.1% seeing themselves as complete failures. While 43.3% feel as satisfied as before, 22.9% report dissatisfaction. 42.2% feel more irritated, 41.8% lose interest in others, and 37.4% struggle with decision-making. Health concerns have increased for 44.6%, while 39.1% report reduced appetite and 36.4% experience weight loss. Regarding coping, 48.6% focus on problem-solving, and 50.7% take action to improve situations. Most students use adaptive coping mechanisms. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the crucial need for universities to implement comprehensive mental health screening and support systems that promote healthy coping strategies and reduce the stigma of seeking help. Higher education providers need to pay special attention to students with high scores for depressive symptoms and poor coping strategies.