The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly transformed nursing education, creating multiple stressors for students. The researchers in this study examined how undergraduate and graduate nursing students at a faith-based university perceived the impact of COVID-19. A multiple linear regression model explored the effect of 17 variables on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) scores. Anxiety level, quality of sleep, and perceived health demonstrated a statistically significant influence on IES-R scores; 27% of students had IES-R scores above 33, indicating high risk for posttraumatic stress disorder. Strategies to help address student stress and anxiety are discussed.

Purpose of study: The need for forgiveness education for nursing self-care and forgiveness facilitation has risen. Therefore, the present pilot study tested the efficacy of an 8-week forgiveness bibliotherapy with a small number of undergraduate nursing students. Design of study: Matched pairs of nursing students were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or no-contact control group. The experimental group, using 8 keys to forgiveness by R. Enright (2015) as the treatment manual, read one chapter a week for 8 weeks and provided weekly reflections. Forgiveness and forgiveness-related outcome measures were administered at pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up. Findings: At the posttest, the experimental group had significantly greater improvement in forgiveness compared to the control group with a large effect size, which was maintained at one month follow-up. There was no other significant difference between the two groups. Within-group comparisons of the experimental group showed improvement in forgiveness, anxiety, depression, and fatigue from pre to post testing periods and forgiveness, anger, anxiety, depression, and fatigue from pre to follow-up testing periods. Conclusion: Use of bibliotherapy may be a cost-effective way to promote the virtue of forgiveness for students in nursing programs.

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