Introduction: Physical therapy (PT) students experience high levels of psychological stress during their education. Individuals with higher levels of resilience are better equipped to handle stress. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an 8-hour resilience curriculum on stress levels, resilience, protectice factors, and illness among PT students during a period of academic stress. Review of Literature: Students in PT programs experience high levels of stress. Resilience is the ability to recover more quickly from stressful circumstances, to realize positive growth after a traumatic experience, and the capacity to sustain positive actions in order to achieve life goals. College students benefit from programs to increase resilience against stress; however, there is a lack of research examining the effect of resilience interventions in PT students. Subjects: Forty-three students enrolled in a DPT program at two universities volunteered to participate. Methods: Students were randomized to an intervention group that received the resilience curriculum prior to midterm examinations, or a waitlist control group. The curriculum included components of resilience, skills-building, and homework exercises. Baseline and follow-up assessments measured stress levels, resilience, coping flexibility, optimism, positive and negative emotions, social support, and symptoms of illness. Effects of the curriculum were assessed by group by time mixed model ANOVA, or nonparametric tests for data not normally distributed. Associations were explored between demographic characteristics and stress and resilience scores, and between baseline survey data and resilience scores. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to find predictors of resilience. Results: There was a significant difference in group by time interaction, showing increased resilience, and positive emotions in the intervention group compared to the control group. There were no significant differences in group by time interaction in stress, coping flexibility, negative emotions, optimism, social support, or illness symptoms. Less perceived stress, greater coping flexibility, and higher positive mood scores predicted greater resilience, accounting for 56% of the variance. Discussion and Conclusion: DPT students who received a resilience curriculum had significantly increased resilience and positive emotions compared to the students in the control group. Providing physical therapy students with tools to improve psychological resilience may better prepare them to meet the demands inherent in physical therapy educational programs.
