Domain-specific stress profiles among dental, medical and non-medical students: a cross-sectional study

Student well-being has become a major concern in higher education, particularly in the training of health professionals. While numerous studies have examined stress among medical students, less is known about how stressors differ across related curricula and the extent to which they reflect curriculum-specific demands versus student-level factors. This study aimed to compare perceived stress levels and stressor profiles among dental, medical, and life sciences students within the same institutional environment and to identify potential targets for program-specific and institution-wide interventions. A cross-sectional study was conducted among students enrolled at the Faculties of Dental Surgery, Medicine, and Life Sciences, at the University of Strasbourg. An adapted French version of the Medical Student Stressor Questionnaire (MSSQ-20) was used to evaluate stressors relating to the following domains: academic; intrapersonal and interpersonal; teaching and learning; social; drive and desire; and group activities. Stress scores were compared across programs, gender, and stage of training. five hundred eighteen students were included in this study. Overall perceived stress levels were slightly but significantly lower among dental students than among medical and life sciences students. Female students reported higher stress levels than male students across all domains. Academic-related stressors represented the strongest contributor to stress in all groups, with medical students reporting the highest score in this domain. Teaching and learning related-stressors constituted the second most prominent domain, with similar stress levels for all students. Dental students reported higher interpersonal and intrapersonal stress, particularly related to interactions with supervisors. In contrast, life sciences students reported significantly higher levels of drive and desire and group activities-related stressors. Perceived stress levels and stressor profiles differed among dental, medical, and life sciences students within the same university environment. These differences may reflect program-related educational experiences, but they may also be influenced by selection, socioeconomic, motivational, and individual factors that were not measured in this study. These findings support the development of program-sensitive interventions alongside institution-wide strategies to improve feedback practices, clarify expectations, and address gender-related differences in perceived stress.