January 11, 2011 J Adv Nurs. 2010 Feb;66(2):442-55. Stress and health in novice and experienced nursing students.

Jimenez C, Navia-Osorio PM, Diaz CV. Professor School of Nursing, University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain. uf1jijic@uco.es Abstract AIM: This paper is a report of a study conducted to identify the differences in novice and experienced nursing students' reports of stress and health. BACKGROUND: Stress from clinical practice and its impact are international yet culturally mediated phenomena. Nursing students are under considerable stress during clinical practice periods, putting their education and health at risk. However, there is little or no empirical evidence about the stress suffered by nursing students and its impact on their health throughout clinical practice. METHODS: We performed cross-sectional research using standard information gathering tools. This study was carried out with 357 students from all 3 years of a nursing diploma programme at a Spanish nursing college (71% response rate). The data were collected over an 8-month period in 2004-2005. FINDINGS: We identified three types of stressors (clinical, academic and external) and two categories of symptoms (physiological and psychological) linked to clinical practice. Factor analysis identified six major sources of stress and six important symptoms. Students perceived clinical stressors more intensely than academic and external stressors, and showed psychological symptoms more frequently than physiological symptoms. Nursing students from all 3 years perceived moderate stress at similar levels. Experienced students perceived more academic stressors than novices. Although the students were healthy, second year students were the most vulnerable to somatic and psychic anxiety, and common symptoms. CONCLUSION: We suggest informing students about possible stressors associated with their profession, and introducing interventions to support development of professionalism, social skills and coping capacity for clinical practice. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20423427

Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2010 Sep 8. [Epub ahead of print] Gender differences in stressors and reactions to stressors among Jordanian university students. Hamaideh SH. Faculty of Nursing, Community and Mental Health Nursing Department, The Hashemite University, Jordan. Abstract BACKGROUND: Stress among university students has been a topic of interest for researchers and teachers for many years because it affects not only their academic performance but also their

physiological and psychological health. Male and female students perceive and react to stressors differently due to their differences in appraising stressful situations. AIMS: The aims of this study were to examine differences in the perception of stressors and reactions to stressors between male and female Jordanian university students, and to identify the best predictors of stressors among them. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional design was employed. The Student-Life Stress Inventory was used to measure stressors and reactions to stressors of 465 male and 485 female Jordanian university students recruited through stratified random sampling. RESULTS: There were statistical differences between male and female students regarding their perception and reactions to stressors. Female students reported a higher perception of stressors in frustrations, conflict, pressures and changes, as well as emotional reactions to stressors. Male students reported higher behavioural and cognitive reactions to stressors than female students. Participation in stress workshops, perception of general health, and perception of stress level in general were found to predict stressors among male students, while mother's educational level, perception of general health, and perception of stress level in general were found to predict stressors among female students. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that gender differences in perception of stressors and reactions to stressors are similar to previous studies conducted all over the world. Interventions can be developed to help students better cope with stress. Conducting specific stress-training programmes for male and female students will help in reducing stress levels. PMID: 20826498 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20826498

Research Briefs Stressors and Counseling Needs of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Ibadan, Nigeria Journal of Nursing Education Vol. 43 No. 9 September 2004

Olayinka O. Omigbodun, MPH, FMCPsych; Adenike C. Onibokun, PhD, RN; Bidemi O. Yusuf, MSc; Akintunde A. Odukogbe, FMCOG and Akinyinka O. Omigbodun, FMCOG

ABSTRACT

Existing evidence suggests that nursing students have high levels of stress and that counseling and other support services should be made available to them. However, the stressors and counseling needs of undergraduate nursing students in Nigeria have yet to be explored. This study used a questionnaire to investigate the stressors, counseling needs, and desired counseling facilities of undergraduate nursing students at the University of Ibadan.

Common stressors included excessive schoolwork, financial problems, inadequate recreational facilities, and overcrowded accommodations. There was an association between reporting inconsiderate, insensitive lecturers as stressors and evidence of psychological distress. Nearly 60% of the respondents felt counseling would help them, and most desired counseling for academics, finances, and relationships. Most (78%) of the respondents preferred an independent facility with trained counselors. Desired characteristics for the services included accessibility, affordability, confidentiality, and a friendly atmosphere. Educators and administrators should use this information to design counseling facilities for students.

AUTHORS

Received: September 21, 2003

Accepted: March 22, 2004

Dr. Olayinka Omigbodun is Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry; Dr. Onibokun is Lecturer in Nursing; Ms.Yusuf is Lecturer in Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Dr. Odukogbe is Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Dr. Akinyinka Omigbodun is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Address correspondence to Olayinka O. Omigbodun, MPH, FMCPsych, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria; e-mail: 4yinkas@skannet.com. http://www.journalofnursingeducation.com/showabst.asp?thing=35152 Ky Nurse. 2010 Apr-Jun;58(2):8. Stress level and stress management skills of admitted baccalaureate nursing students. Murdock C, Naber J, Perlow M. Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky, USA. Abstract The purpose of this study was to review the stress levels and the stress management skills of admitted baccalaureate nursing students at a rural public university. Subjects completed a questionnaire to estimate stress levels, causes of stress, stress management skills, and the use of stress management skills. Stress levels by gender and group were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA). No significant differences in stress levels by semester were discovered. A significant difference was discovered when stress levels were compared by gender. Subjects also responded that students should be taught stress management skills upon admission into the

program. Additionally, stress management skills should be reinforced each semester to help students identify causes and better manage their stress. Research in the area of stress and nursing students has been sporadically attempted through the years. However, focus on stress, gender, and program placement is far less evident. The purpose of this study was to answer the following research question: What are the stress levels and the stress management skills of baccalaureate nursing students? To that end, a questionnaire was developed to identify the stress and stress management skills of the baccalaureate nursing students with the results analyzed for frequency and percentages. This study looked not only at the stress levels and stress management skills of the baccalaureate nursing student, but also took into account the subject's gender and program placement. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20458881

attrition: A gradual diminution in number or strength because of constant stress.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/g54t35m4n7431h31/ Abstract Student attrition, resulting from either or both academic and personal factors, can be a costly problem in any educational setting. Suggestions for improving dropout rates include more

effective screening procedures, as well as programmatic intervention to prevent attrition. The present study represents an attempt to reduce attrition due to personal factors with a programatic intervention. Two consecutive classes of practical nursing students served as subjects. The first class received no intervention and served as a comparison group. All students in the second class were randomly assigned to one of five Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) groups. The goal of this intervention was to teach skills to facilitate adaptive coping in a stressful program. The results revealed a significant decrease in attrition in the class receiving SIT. The implications of the results and limitations of the study are discussed. Portions of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association, New Orleans, March 1982. The author would like to thank E. Nelson-Wernick and the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments of an earlier draft of this manuscript. Friday, July 15, 2005 This presentation is part of : Promoting Student Nurse Success Self-Reported Life Stressors Among Students in Their First Nursing Course Sudha C. Patel, RN, MN, MA, DNS, Nursing, University of Louisiana, at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, USA, Ardith Sudduth, PhD, RN, FNP-C, Department of Nursing and Allied Health Professions, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, USA, and Kim Jakopac, MN, NP, RN, Nursing, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, USA. Learning Objective #1: Identify common life-event stressors among students entering into the first nursing course Learning Objective #2: Assist beginning nursing students dealing with the life-event stressors through the learning process Self-reported life stressors among students in their first nursing course. Abstract Introduction: Stress among nursing students is a paramount concern of nursing educators because high stress levels often lead to decreased learning and higher drop-out rates. Moderate to high levels of stress have been found to have a negative effect on learning and impaired judgment. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the level of stress experienced by nursing students enrolled in their first nursing course. Design: A quantitative survey design using a self reporting questionnaire was selected. Sample: The population was nursing students enrolled in their first baccalaureate nursing course. A convenience sample of 109 freshmen students chose to participate. Method: A questionnaire, How Much Stress Have You Had Lately?, (Marx, Garrity, & Bowers in Alters & Schiff workbook, 2003) was used for data collection after IRB approval. The instrument measures major life events occurring in the past year Findings: Data is currently being analyzed. Preliminary data analysis suggests that large numbers of freshmen students are under very high levels of stress. The Questionnaire indicates that a score of 347 or below is a low stress level and a score over 1435 is a high degree of stress. Nearly 50% experience stress mid point on the scale. However, nearly one-fourth of the

freshmen reported scores over 1435some well over 2,000 indicating very high level of life stressors. Conclusions and Implications: Freshmen nursing students entering the nursing curriculum report having experienced moderate to high levels of life event stressors. In order to retain these capable students, nursing faculties must develop programs to assist students to learn to cope with their stressors in a positive manner. It is vital that nursing faculties identify students at risk early in the nursing curriculum and guide the students to appropriate resources. See more of Promoting Student Nurse Success See more of 16th International Nursing Research Congress Renew Nursing Through Scholarship 14-16 July 2005 Hawaiis Big Island http://stti.confex.com/stti/inrc16/techprogram/paper_22650.htm