Stress among nursing undergraduate students of a Brazilian public university

Examining social activity, need to belong, and depression among college students

OBJECTIVE

Prior research suggests that social connectedness is associated with lower levels of depression among college students. The aim of this exploratory study was to determine if an association existed between social activity, need to belong, and depression. Variations in study measures by race, gender, and student status were also explored.

PARTICIPANTS

Data was collected from students attending a large university in the southeastern United States during the Spring 2019 academic semester (N = 299).

METHODS

Participants completed an anonymous self-administered survey, which was offered in both electronic and paper formats.

RESULTS

Need to belong significantly predicted depression among college students even when accounting for social activity and response bias. Study measures varied significantly based on race, gender, and student status.

CONCLUSION

Belonging and social connectedness may be utilized by collegiate stakeholders to increase student and university outcomes.

Validation of student academic advising and counseling evaluation tool among undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND

Academic advising and counseling services support students in achieving their educational outcomes. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of research on academic advising and student-support systems among nursing students. Therefore, the current study aims to develop a student academic advising and counseling survey (SAACS) and measure its validity and reliability.

METHODS

Cross-sectional design was used to collect online self-administered data from undergraduate nursing students in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The SAACS is developed based on relevant literature and tested for content and construct validity.

RESULTS

A total of 1,134 students from both sites completed the questionnaire. Students' mean age was 20.3 ± 1.4, and the majority of them were female (81.9%), single (95.6%), and unemployed (92.3%). The content validity index (CVI) of SAACS overall score (S-CVI) is 0.989, and S-CVI/UA (universal agreement) is 0.944, which indicates excellent content validity. The overall SAACS reliability showed an excellent internal consistency with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.966 - 0.972).

CONCLUSIONS

The SAACS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing students' experience with academic advising and counseling services and can be utilized to improve those services in nursing school settings.

Increasing occupational participation: A qualitative analysis within the “Occupational Self-Analysis” program

Introduction:

Occupational participation is a key element to increase the quality of life in the population. One of the effective interventions to increase occupational participation is the “Occupational Self-Analysis” program. The aim of this study was to analyze participant’s reported benefits about the “Occupational Self-Analysis” program.

Method:

This is a qualitative study with 26 participants (12 people with intellectual disability, 7 affected by acquired brain injury, and 7 students) who participated in weekly group sessions and one individual session. The outcomes were measured based on participant diaries and focus group transcriptions.

Results:

Two main themes emerged: (1) supports for occupational participation and (2) barriers for occupational participation. The thematic analysis of the categories was based on the Model of Human Occupation to increase applicability of the program in occupational therapy practice.

Conclusions:

The “Occupational Self-Analysis” program allowed participants to increase their knowledge of supports provided for and the barriers against occupational participation.

Stress management strategies and quality of life in undergraduate nursing and midwifery students in Poland: A pilot study

AIM

To establish the level of the quality of life (QOL) and its determinants in nursing and midwifery students, evaluate stress management strategies and find the correlation between the frequency of specific strategies and the QOL.

DESIGN

Diagnostic survey.

METHODS

The study was conducted in June 2019. Two hundred thirty-four undergraduate students were examined with the use of Mini-Cope Inventory of Stress Management Measurement (Mini-Cope) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument Brief Form.

RESULTS

The average QOL of the respondents was found as good (4.06 ± 0.73). The students graded their QOL in the social relationship domain the highest (15.98 ± 2.97) and the lowest in the physical health domain (14.38 ± 2.75). The QOL was influenced by material status and the source of income. In stressful situations, the respondents most commonly used Active Coping (2.09 ± 0.57) and Seeking Emotional Support (2.09 ± 0.77) strategies. The latter correlated most positively with the QOL in social relationship (r = .514, p < .001) and environmental (r = .387, p < .001) domains.

Emotional intelligence and perceived stress among students in Saudi health colleges: A cross-sectional correlational study

OBJECTIVES

To date, little knowledge exists about perceived stress or emotional intelligence among Saudi students specialising in health sciences. This study uses sociodemographic factors to assess the correlations and divergences between emotional intelligence and perceived stress among health-science students in Saudi applied health-science colleges.

METHODS

The present study adopted a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design and recruited a convenience sample of 274 nursing and paramedic students. The participants were invited to complete a self-report questionnaire, which covered demographic factors, emotional intelligence (the MindTools test), and perceived stress (the Perceived Stress Scale).

RESULTS

Almost all participants (97.1%) had average-to-high levels of emotional intelligence (mean = 50.58 in a 15-75 ranged scale); this was particularly true for nursing students and students in their first and third academic years. Overall, the students had a moderate level of perceived stress (mean = 1.75 in a 0-4 ranged scale), with assignments and workload causing the highest levels of stress. A negative non-significant correlation was found between emotional intelligence and perceived stress.

CONCLUSIONS

The research findings show that emotional intelligence does not differ significantly by nationality, gender, or specialty satisfaction. The students' gender, nationality, specialty, specialty satisfaction, and academic year were not significantly associated with levels of perceived stress. However, higher (although non-significant) levels of emotional intelligence were associated with lower levels of perceived stress. It is therefore essential to educate health-science students about emotional intelligence and teach them to identify and overcome stressors. Information about emotional intelligence and perceived stress should be incorporated into health-science curricula.

Stress factors of nursing students in their final year

Abstract Objective: To identify the stress factors of the university environment and the repercussions on the quality of sleep and life of students in their last year of undergraduate nursing. Method: A cross-sectional, comparative, quantitative study conducted with students in their last year of undergraduate nursing in a private institution in the south of Minas Gerais. The Instrument for the Assessment of Stress in Nursing Students (ASNS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the WHOQOL-Bref quality of life questionnaire and the sociodemographic characterization questionnaire were applied for data collection; association, comparison and correlation coefficient tests and descriptive statistics were performed for data analysis. Results: The sample consisted of 55 participants. There was a strong correlation between Time Management of stress with sleep and the physical, psychological and environmental domains of quality of life, in addition to the significant association for insomnia and some sociodemographic variables. Conclusion: Stress factors were associated with poor quality sleep and changes in quality of life. Time Management was the factor with the greatest potential for stress. The ninth semester had greater exposure to stressors, worse quality of sleep and life.

Association of stress factors and depressive symptoms with the academic performance of nursing students

OBJECTIVE

To verify the association of stress factors and depressive symptoms with the academic performance of nursing students.

METHOD

Cross-sectional, quantitative, observational research conducted at a public university in Manaus. Socio-demographic data, academic performance coefficient and individual semester performance, the Instrument for the Assessment of Stress in Nursing Students and the CES-D Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale were used to characterize the students. Pearson's correlation coefficient, ANOVA test and multiple linear regression were used for the analysis.

RESULTS

155 nursing students participated in the study. The stress factors "performance of practical activities", "professional communication" and "professional education" had a positive correlation with individual semester performance, while the factors "depressive affect", "interpersonal" and "somatic/attitudes" had a negative correlation.

CONCLUSION

The present study identified positive impacts of stress factors on academic performance, however, the presence of depressive symptoms was associated with lower academic performance.