Perceived Level of Stress, Stressors and Coping Behaviours in Nursing Students

Stress in nursing is inherent. Continuous and prolonged exposure to stress among nursing students can affect their academic as well as clinical performance. Stress is hazardous as it results in impaired body functions. Nursing students as part of health care system needs to be in optimum state of health in all dimensions (physical, psychological, social, spiritual and economical) to provide high quality care to the patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception level of stress and sources of stress among undergraduate nursing students. Coping behaviours of these students were also explored. The study was carried out in National Institute of Nursing Education, PGIMER, Chandigarh. Cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted in this study. Sample size consisted of 221 nursing students. Data were obtained using questionnaire method including Sociodemographic profile sheet, Perceived stress scale, stressor check list. Results revealed that no student was free from stress only the degrees of stress varied from individual to individual. Maximum students had low and moderate level of stress. Only 5 (2.3%) students had severe level of stress. Maximum mean stress score was for 2nd and 3rd year students of B.Sc. nursing (4 years) course. Main stressors in this study were clinical and academics related i.e. performing nursing procedures in front of teacher, increased classroom workload, fear of making mistakes in clinical area, poor performance in examination, fear of catching nosocomial infection. Few stressors were in other categories like personal problems, environmental issues and relationship issues. Positive as well as negative coping strategies were used by students to deal with the stressors. On the basis of sociodegraphic characteristics no significant difference was observed in the stress level.