Sources of Stress and Coping Behaviors among Nursing Students Throughout Their First Clinical Training

Nursing students' emotional empathy, emotional intelligence and higher education-related stress: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Nursing is one of the critically important disciplines in healthcare. Due to its complexity and specificity, nursing students often face additional higher education-related stress. However, there is less research on higher education-related stress among nursing students. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of emotional empathy and emotional intelligence on the dimensions of higher education-related stress among nursing students.

METHODS

This study utilized a multi-stage sampling design and was completed within the March-June 2023 period. A total of 1126 nursing students were recruited to complete the questionnaire. The self-administered questionnaire included the basic characteristics of the subjects, an emotional empathy scale, an emotional intelligence scale, and a higher education-related stress scale. One-way ANOVA/t-tests, correlation coefficients, and hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to explore the factors affecting higher education-related stress and the relationship between emotional empathy and emotional intelligence with the dimensions of higher education-related stress.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) scores of challenges and dissatisfaction dimensions of higher education-related stress among nursing students were 30.052 (7.466) and 8.270 (2.205), respectively. Emotional empathy was significantly and positively related to the challenges and dissatisfaction dimensions of higher education-related stress. Emotional intelligence was negatively correlated with the challenges dimension of higher education-related stress and positively correlated with the dissatisfaction dimension. Stratified multiple regression analyses revealed that nursing students' emotional empathy and emotional intelligence were significant predictors of the dimensions of higher education-related stress.

CONCLUSION

Overall, emotional empathy and emotional intelligence were significantly correlated with all dimensions of higher education-related stress. Consequently, in future interventions, the Chinese government and education sector can develop nursing students' ability to use emotional empathy and emotional intelligence rationally through emotional regulation strategies and emotional intelligence courses, to reduce the higher education-related stress they experience.

Psychological Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nursing Students: Palestinian Perspective

Introduction

COVID-19 has had an important effect on nursing students, with some having their clinical practice cancelled or suspended and others suffering from the virus.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to assess the psychological status in terms of stress, anxiety, and depression of nursing students during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The study was cross-sectional, carried out by a convenience sample of 320 participants of nursing students between May and June 2020. Data collection was performed by "Depression Anxiety Stress-21 Scale" (DASS-21).

Results

The results revealed that 78 (24.3%) of participants reported stress; 121 (37.8%) reported anxiety; and 72 (22.5%) reported depression. Also, grade and socioeconomic status had statistically significant effect on anxiety, stress, and depression. In addition, age had statistically significant effect on depression, place of residence had statistically significant effect on anxiety, and gender had statistically significant effect on stress.

Conclusion

The study confirmed an alarming number of nursing students who experienced anxiety, stress, and depression. This study serves as an evidence concerning nursing students' mental health issues as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.