Sources of Stress Among Undergraduate Nursing Students

OBJECTIVE: Stress is common among nursing students during their first years of study. Nursing students often experience high levels of stress because they frequently encounter various challenges that can negatively affect their academic performance and general health. However, common sources of stress among undergraduate nursing students have not been well identified. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the common sources of stress among undergraduate nursing students.

METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The convenience sample included 87 female nursing students. The Student Nurse Stress Index (SNSI) was used to describe the sources of stress from four domains: academic load, clinical concerns, personal problems, and interface worries.

RESULTS: The majority (95.4%) of the participants were aged between 19-21 years. The major source of stress was academic load (M = 3.38, SD = 0.82), followed by interface worries (M = 3.22, SD = 0.79), clinical concerns (M = 2.80, SD = 0.78), and personal problems (M = 2.43, SD = 1.02).

CONCLUSION: The nursing students’ stress resulting from their academic load was higher than the other sources of stress, and it was related to the large number of materials, assignments, or subjects required for nursing students. It is recommended that undergraduate nursing students are supported by having schools organize the amount of academic work required for each subject. Given that the students’ academic load was the most common source of stress, coordination between the students and faculty about the requirements of each course is warranted.