The Relationship Between Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Students’ Self-Esteem and Event Participation and Satisfaction

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physiotherapy and rehabilitation students’ self-esteem and their demographic characteristics, events participation, and satisfaction. In this cross-sectional study, 421 students (68.2% female, 31.6% male) who were accessible and volunteer among 673 students studying in different classes of Dokuz Eylül University School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation were included. The demographic characteristics of the students were written. Their participation in social and scientific events, and student clubs was determined. Students’ satisfaction in terms of academic success, choice of profession, education and studying in the department were asked. The self-esteem of the students was determined with the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Scale-Short Form. Students were aged between 18 and 32 years old (median = 20 years, interquartile range 19/21). 86.5% of students had high self-esteem. There was no difference in terms of self-esteem between the groups according to gender (p=0.361) and classes (p=0.655). It was seen that there was a positive significant weak correlation between the economic status reported by the students and their self-esteem (Kendall’s tau-b r = 0.080, p=0.044). Social events (Kendall’s tau-b r=0.132, p=0.001), scientific events (Kendall’s tau-b r=0.132, p=0.019) and student club participation (Kendall’s tau-b r=0.136, p=0.001) were found to have a statistically significant positive weak correlation with self-esteem. The students who were satisfied with their education (p=0.001), academic success (p=0.000), career choice (p=0.001), and studying in School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation (p=0.000) were found to have significantly higher self-esteem than the students who weren’t satisfied. In this study, it was concluded that choosing the profession that students would be satisfied with, keeping students’ satisfaction high, and organizing the ideal variety of activities and club activities that they can participate in may be important for the development of self-esteem.