Open Access

REVIEW

Intervention Characteristics to Improve Stress Coping in Healthcare Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Natalie Y. Luo¹, Edie L. Sperling^2,*, Juliette Lum²

1 College of Osteopathic Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA
2 College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest, Western University of Health Sciences, Lebanon, OR, USA

* Corresponding Author: Edie L. Sperling. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Evidence-based Approaches to Managing Stress, Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2026, 28(2), 1 https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.074948

Received 22 October 2025; Accepted 25 December 2025; Issue published 27 February 2026

Abstract

Objectives: Healthcare students experience significant stress due to their rigorous graduate school curricula. These levels of stress are associated with higher risks of depression, self-harm, and exhaustion. Coping interventions have been shown to help students develop healthy stress coping strategies. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the diverse array of coping interventions and what characteristics of coping interventions were most effective at decreasing stress among healthcare students. Methods: Any intervention designed to address coping for academic stress was included among medical, dental, nursing, physician assistant, allied health, veterinary, psychology, etc. students. A comprehensive literature search was completed to include multiple databases, Ancestry, and hand-searching from EBSCO and Google Scholar articles. A final total of 17 studies were included. Standardized mean difference effect sizes (ES) were synthesized across studies using a random-effects model in the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software for changes in coping levels in healthcare students. Moderator analyses were performed to explore the study, intervention, and participants’ characteristics. The risk of bias was assessed by RoB2 and ROBINS-I. Results: Coping interventions significantly reduced stress outcomes among healthcare students (d = 0.74; 95% CI [0.48–1.01], 95% PI [−0.41–1.90], p < 0.001, Q = 228.49, I² = 93.0%, T = 0.52, T² = 0.28, p < 0.001). Moderator analysis showed that interventions with stress education, established professional guidance, and fewer hours led to better stress management outcomes. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that coping interventions produce an overall moderate-to-large effect on stress reduction. Future research investigating coping interventions on academic and long-term outcomes would be beneficial.

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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