Rationale: During their university years, students may encounter several stress-inducing factors related to their professional futures.
Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between career stress, academic success, and self-efficacy in final-year occupational therapy students.
Methods: Fifty individuals (43 female, 7 male) with a mean age of 22.18±1.78 (min 20, max 33) who were last-year students in the occupational therapy department were included. Students working actively full/part-time and studying in their second university were excluded from the study. Demographic information was recorded. The Korean Career Stress Inventory (KCSI) for career stress and the Self-Efficacy Scale (SES) for self-efficacy were used. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) system was employed to evaluate academic success, utilizing a scale ranging from 0 to 4 points. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to test the relationship between the data.
Results: The mean KCSI score was 52.78±15.76 (min 20, max 89), and the mean SES score was 58.27±8.79 (min 41, max 75). The mean CGPA score was 3.01±0.24. A statistically significant relationship was found between the KCSI and SES mean score (r=-0.56, p<0.001) and between the CGPA and SES 'sustained effort-persistence' subscale (r=0.34, p<0.05).
Conclusion: Lower self-efficacy was associated with higher career stress in final-year occupational therapy students. Additionally, greater persistence was related to higher academic success. These results highlight the importance of addressing career-related stressors and fostering self-efficacy in occupational therapy education to support students' academic and professional development.