Date Posted: July 23, 2026

Author/s: Jebb Patrick M. Delos Santos, RPh, MPH, Ryan T. Roldan, RN, DrPH

Mental health issues are becoming more common because of students’ declining quality of life, poorer academic performance, and varied learning environments. Despite the transition from the online to faceto-face learning platform, the stress level of the allied medical students is continuously rising. While educational institutions have offered group discussions and seminars to address this issue, their impact on students’ stress levels has been minimal. Considering the growing problem, serious public health actions should be launched, especially by universities and other educational institutions. A listening game and a mental health seminar were used as part of the ConvoCare Project to gauge the level of stress experienced by tertiary university pharmacy students. The pre-survey implementation revealed that most pharmacy students were experiencing moderate to high levels of stress. To cope, they employed problem- and emotional-focused coping mechanisms, which included active planning, problem-solving techniques, and seeking out social support. Fifty eight students with moderate levels of stress were part of the ConvoCare project before the activity. The listening card game had a positive impact on students’ reported stress levels, which ranged from low to moderate after the project was completed. Results from the paired t-test revealed a statistically significant reduction in stress, with mean scores decreasing from 18.5 ± 3.04 on the pre-test to 14.7 ± 2.78 on the post-test. The majority of participants provided positive evaluations of the initiative, with an overall satisfaction rating of 4.57 ± 0.53, indicating a very satisfactory evaluation. These findings highlight the importance of integrating stress-reduction strategies into educational programs to support students’ mental health.

Keywords: Academic stress, coping, pharmacy student, perceived stress