Exploring the psychological health related profile of nursing students in Singapore: a cluster analysis

Psychological Well-Being in Nursing Students: A Multicentric, Cross-Sectional Study

In addition to complying with strict academic standards, nursing students must acquire relevant knowledge and skills, and learn how to carry themselves in different and often stressful professional settings. These obligations could severely affect their mental health. The purpose of this study was to examine the mental health status of undergraduate nursing students and related factors. A total of 1368 nursing students from different universities in Spain and Chile were included in this study, which took place over the 2018–2019 academic year. We assessed their levels of stress related to specific learning methodologies and determined their mental health status using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The results revealed that the more advanced the course was, the lower the total GHQ-28 score. The stress generated by different types of training activities had a significant effect on the total GHQ-28 score. These results suggest that nursing education could act as a protective factor against mental health disorders. Although a heavy academic workload could lead to higher levels of stress, overall, it seems that mental health is better in more advanced courses than in initial academic years.

Ansiedad, depresión y actividad autónoma en estudiantes de enfermería, en el estado de Guanajuato, México

Nuestro objetivo fue estudiar las relaciones entre actividad autonómica, ansiedad y depresión de estudiantes de enfermería, siguiendo un diseño correlacional y un muestreo intencional; se aplicaron los inventarios de ansiedad y depresión de Beck, así como el perfil psicofisiológico del estrés. Fueron incluidas 133 personas de primero, tercero y quinto semestre de una universidad de Guanajuato, México. El índice promedio de ansiedad fue de 23.17 (nivel moderado). La media de depresión fue de 7.9 (nivel mínimo). No se encontraron relaciones significativas entre ansiedad y depresión (rs = 0.077, p = 0.380), ni entre estas emociones y el nivel de actividad autonómica (p = 0.05). En el perfil psicofisiológico se encontraron correlaciones entre los índices obtenidos en la primera condición y los de la última (rs = 0.844, p < 0.05). La ansiedad y la depresión son muy prevalentes, pero son necesarios más estudios para clarificar las relaciones que hay entre ellos y la actividad autonómica de estudiantes universitarios.

Revista Digital Internacional de Psicología y Ciencia Social | Volumen 6 | Número 1 | Enero-Junio 2020 | Investigación y acción para el cambio social

El nombre del presente número es “La investigación para la acción y el cambio social”, decidimos titularlo de esa manera porque consideramos de fundamental interés destacar la importancia que ha adquirido el trabajo científico desarrollado por los profesionales de distintas disciplinas para favorecer a la población que atienden respectivamente, pues en los trabajos presentados se muestra una excelente articulación entre la teoría y la práctica, poniendo en evidencia que se parte de una concepción social y científica, holística, pluralista e igualitaria.

Mental health profile and health-related behavior among Hong Kong Chinese university students

To better understand factors that are associated with individuals’ engagement in physical activity and other health-related behaviors, this study aimed to identify the psychological well-being profiles among Chinese university students, and explore whether engagement in physical activity and other health-related behaviors vary with different psychological well-being profiles. A battery of self-report questionnaires was completed by 2022 Chinese university students for assessing psychological well-being and health-related behaviors. Four psychological well-being profiles were identified. The vast students were mentally healthy. The students with better mental health displayed lower likelihood of engagement in unhealthy behaviors. Findings and implication of the study were discussed.

Nursing and midwifery students' stress and coping during their undergraduate education programmes: An integrative review

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this review is to examine the literature related to the sources of stress, coping mechanisms and interventions to support undergraduate nursing and midwifery students to cope with stress during their undergraduate education.

DESIGN

Integrative literature review.

DATA SOURCES

The databases CINAHL, PubMed and PsycINFO were searched for articles published between 2010 and 2016. Search terms in various combinations were used for example; student nurse, student midwife, undergraduate, stress, coping and interventions.

REVIEW METHODS

An integrative review based on Whittemore and Knafl's approach was used to conduct the review.

RESULTS

The search generated 25 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The key sources of stress emanated from clinical, academic and financial issues but predominantly from the clinical environment. Students used a variety of coping strategies, both adaptive and maladaptive. These appear to be influenced by their past and present circumstances such as, their needs, what was at stake and their options for coping. Interventions for student nurses/midwives to cope with stress were varied and in the early stages of development. Mindfulness showed some promising positive results. Interventions focussed on the individual level excluding the wider social context or organisation level.

CONCLUSIONS

Stress is pervasive in all aspects of undergraduate nursing and midwifery education. Nursing and midwifery educators need to be aware of this impact and provide appropriate support to students in both the clinical and academic environments. Further research is needed to capture the experience of stress from the students' perspective as well as the barriers and facilitators to supporting students from the preceptors'/mentors' perspectives. Finally, more intervention studies are needed to identify and compare what interventions are effective in supporting students to cope with stress during their undergraduate education.

The moderator effect of sex on attitude toward communication, emotional intelligence, and empathy in the nursing field

Objectives:

to analyze differences in the variables for the object of this study (attitude toward communication, emotional intelligence, and empathy) according to sex; verify correlations among variables between men and women and analyze regression models according to sex.

Method:

the ATC was used to measure attitudes toward communication; the Jefferson Scale of Empathy was used to measure empathy; and the Trait Meta Mood Scale 24 was used to measure emotional intelligence. The sample was composed of 450 nurses working in 7 hospitals located in Valencia, Spain. The t-test for independent samples was used to verify whether there were statistically significant differences, together with a prior application of the Levene test to assess the equality of variances. The correlations were analyzed using Person’s coefficient. Finally, the Beta coefficients of variables predicting ATC’s dimensions were verified using hierarchical multiple linear regression according to sex.

Results:

There are statistically significant differences based on sex for the variables, correlations and power of prediction.

Conclusions:

This study presents evidence on how the levels of variables (attitudes toward communication, EI, and empathy) vary among nurses according to sex, as well as the relationships established among such variables.

Emotional intelligence and affective events in nurse education: A narrative review

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the current state of knowledge about emotional intelligence and affective events that arise during nursing students' clinical placement experiences.

DESIGN

Narrative literature review.

DATA SOURCES

CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC and APAIS-Health databases published in English between 1990 and 2016.

REVIEW METHODS

Data extraction from and constant comparative analysis of ten (10) research articles.

RESULTS

We found four main themes: (1) emotional intelligence buffers stress; (2) emotional intelligence reduces anxiety associated with end of life care; (3) emotional intelligence promotes effective communication; and (4) emotional intelligence improves nursing performance.

CONCLUSIONS

The articles we analysed adopted a variety of emotional intelligence models. Using the Ashkanasy and Daus "three-stream" taxonomy (Stream 1: ability models; 2: self-report; 3: mixed models), we found that Stream 2 self-report measures were the most popular followed by Stream 3 mixed model measures. None of the studies we surveyed used the Stream 1 approach. Findings nonetheless indicated that emotional intelligence was important in maintaining physical and psychological well-being. We concluded that developing emotional intelligence should be a useful adjunct to improve academic and clinical performance and to reduce the risk of emotional distress during clinical placement experiences. We call for more consistency in the use of emotional intelligence tests as a means to create an empirical evidence base in the field of nurse education.

Effect of Yoga on Psychological Functioning of Nursing Students: A Randomized Wait List Control Trial

INTRODUCTION

Nursing students experience considerable amount of stress to meet their professional demands. Yoga is an effective practice to reduce stress and improve psychological well being. However, improvement in psychological well being aids in stress management.

AIM

To evaluate the effectiveness of eight week yoga intervention on psychological functioning of nursing students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a randomised Wait List Control (WLC) trial, we recruited total 100 students from Kempegowda Institute of Nursing, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India and randomized them into two groups (yoga=50 and WLC=50 students). The following instruments were used to collect the data, Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), Self-Compassion Scale- Short Form (SCS-SF), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Jefferson Scale of Empathy HPS-Version (JSE-HPS), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data was analysed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (RM-ANOVA) followed by post-hoc Bonferroni correction for all psychological variables.

RESULTS

The results of our study report that eight week yoga intervention was significantly effective in improving self compassion and mindfulness among nursing students in experimental group than compared to WLC group. Even though there were improvements in resilience, satisfaction in life and perceived stress, results were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

Overall, results of the present study have demonstrated impact of eight week yoga intervention on the psychological functioning of nursing students. Yoga intervention can be inculcated in the nursing education to meet demands of the profession.

A validation of the construct and reliability of an emotional intelligence scale applied to nursing students

OBJECTIVE:

The current study aimed to validate the construct and reliability of an emotional intelligence scale.

METHOD:

The Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 was applied to 349 nursing students. The process included content validation, which involved expert reviews, pilot testing, measurements of reliability using Cronbach's alpha, and factor analysis to corroborate the validity of the theoretical model's construct.

RESULTS:

Adequate Cronbach coefficients were obtained for all three dimensions, and factor analysis confirmed the scale's dimensions (perception, comprehension, and regulation).

CONCLUSION:

The Trait Meta-Mood Scale is a reliable and valid tool to measure the emotional intelligence of nursing students. Its use allows for accurate determinations of individuals' abilities to interpret and manage emotions. At the same time, this new construct is of potential importance for measurements in nursing leadership; educational, organizational, and personal improvements; and the establishment of effective relationships with patients.

Efficacy of teaching methods used to develop critical thinking in nursing and midwifery undergraduate students: A systematic review of the literature

BACKGROUND

The value and importance of incorporating strategies that promote critical thinking in nursing and midwifery undergraduate programmes are well documented. However, relatively little is known about the effectiveness of teaching strategies in promoting CT. Evaluating effectiveness is important to promote 'best practise' in teaching.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of teaching methods used to develop critical thinking skills in nursing and midwifery undergraduate students.

DATA SOURCES

The following six databases; CINAHL, Ovid Medline, ERIC, Informit, PsycINFO and Scopus were searched and resulted in the retrieval of 1315 papers.

REVIEW METHODS

After screening for inclusion, each paper was evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria and quality appraisal.

RESULTS

Twelve different teaching interventions were tested in 8 countries. Results varied, with little consistency across studies using the same type of intervention or outcome tool. Sixteen tools were used to measure the efficacy of teaching in developing critical thinking. Seventeen studies identified a significant increase in critical thinking, while nine studies found no increases, and two found unexplained decreases in CT when using a similar educational intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

Whilst this review aimed to identify effective teaching strategies that promote and develop critical thinking, flaws in methodology and outcome measures contributed to inconsistent findings. The continued use of generalised CT tools is unlikely to help identify appropriate teaching methods that will improve CT abilities of midwifery and nursing students and prepare them for practise. The review was limited to empirical studies published in English that used measures of critical thinking with midwifery and nursing students. Discipline specific strategies and tools that measure students' abilities to apply CT in practise are needed.

Incorporating Spirituality into Health Sciences Education

Researchers are beginning to collect empiric data about coping mechanisms of health science students. Yet, there is an important aspect of coping with stress that is only partially addressed in health sciences curricula: students' spiritual well-being. In this essay, we describe a course in spirituality and health care that we offered to fourth-year medical students, as well as a small empirical study we conducted to assess students' spiritual needs and practices. We then offer reflections on the broad applicability of this work to students in the health sciences more generally, including suggestions for curriculum interventions that may ensure students' success.

Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on depression, anxiety, stress and mindfulness in Korean nursing students

BACKGROUND

Nursing students often experience depression, anxiety, stress and decreased mindfulness which may decrease their patient care effectiveness. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) effectively reduced depression, anxiety and stress, and increased mindfulness in previous research with other populations, but there is sparse evidence regarding its effectiveness for nursing students in Korea.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effects of MBSR on depression, anxiety, stress and mindfulness in Korean nursing students.

DESIGN

A randomized controlled trial.

PARTICIPANTS/SETTING

Fifty (50) nursing students at KN University College of Nursing in South Korea were randomly assigned to two groups. Data from 44 students, MBSR (n=21) and a wait list (WL) control (n=23) were analyzed.

METHODS

The MBSR group practiced mindfulness meditation for 2 h every week for 8 weeks. The WL group did not receive MBSR intervention. Standardized self-administered questionnaires of depression, anxiety, stress and mindfulness were administered at the baseline prior to the MBSR program and at completion (at 8 weeks).

RESULTS

Compared with WL participants, MBSR participants reported significantly greater decreases in depression, anxiety and stress, and greater increase in mindfulness.

CONCLUSION

A program of MBSR was effective when it was used with nursing students in reducing measures of depression, anxiety and stress, and increasing their mindful awareness. MBSR shows promise for use with nursing students to address their experience of mild depression, anxiety and stress, and to increase mindfulness in academic and clinical work, warranting further study.

The overall impact of emotional intelligence on nursing students and nursing

Healthcare employers often criticize the lack of emotional competency and critical thinking skills demonstrated by newly licensed nurses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether emotional intelligence (EI) training for nurses improves critical thinking and emotional competence enough to justify including EI in nursing curricula. A meta-analysis was conducted inclusive of EI related nursing abilities and traits such as leadership, health, reflection, ethical behavior, nursing student performance, and job retention/satisfaction. Studies of EI constructs, test instruments, and contrary viewpoints were also examined. The analysis included 395 EI studies of approximately 65,300 participants. All the studies reported a positive correlation with EI ranging from weak to strong with a moderate cumulative effect size of r = 0.3022 across all studies. This study may contribute to positive social change by reducing employers time and cost for training newly licensed nurses, thereby decreasing the overall cost of health care to the public.

Predictors of Taiwanese baccalaureate nursing students' physio-psycho-social responses during clinical practicum

The nursing educational process may contribute to stress in nursing students, particularly during clinical rotations. This descriptive study explored the relationships between perceived stress, coping behaviors, personality traits, and physio-psycho-social responses in a clinical practicum among baccalaureate nursing students and identified predictors for physio-psycho-social responses. A cross-sectional design was employed. One hundred and one juniors enrolled in a four-year baccalaureate nursing program in Taiwan participated in this study. Four structured questionnaires were utilized to collect data. Multiple regression analysis showed that three predictors accounted for 53.2% of the variance in students' physio-psycho-social responses, including perceived stress, students' gender, and personality traits. The implication for nursing educators is providing immediate assistance and appropriate support to guide students through difficult learning when they need. Nursing instructors also should pay attention to students' gender-linked differences and be aware of individuals' personality traits, especially those with emotional instability, unsocial behaviors, and depressive signs.