Comparison of stress in freshman and senior nursing students

Abstract

Objective: To compare stress levels in freshman and senior nursing students. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a public federal university of the state of Bahia, with students who answered questionnaires about sociodemographic variables, academic life, and a scale for assessing stress in nursing students. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were applied to analyze the relationship between variables. To assess proportional trends between ordinal variables and groups, a chi-square test for linear trend was applied. The significance level was 5%. Results: One hundred and fifty-four students participated in the study. There was a tendency to higher stress levels among students in the last year compared to those in the first year, in four out of six domains: Performance of Practical Activities (p=0.00), Professional Communication (p=0.00), Environment (p=0.00) and Professional Education (p=0.00). Conclusion: High levels of stress were observed in students taking the last year. There is a need for broader research that includes other years of the course, an institutional reflection on stress factors and the adoption of an institutional policy that favors a better confrontation of stress factors.

Sources of Stress and Coping Strategies Among Undergraduate Nursing Students Across All Years

“…A recent study showed that second year nursing students report the highest levels of stress, compared to other years, due to their perception of having inadequate knowledge and skills in their clinical rotations (Admi et al, 2018). However, other studies show that the final year of nursing education is the most stressful year (Edwards et al, 2010;He et al, 2018;Jimenez et al, 2010;Mussi et al, 2019). The high levels of stress experienced by final-year students were attributed to demanding clinical settings that require students to master more challenging technical skills and have more in-depth knowledge about patients' medical conditions.…”

Perfil empreendedor entre estudantes de graduação em enfermagem

“…Esse achado vai ao encontro de estudos anteriores que evidenciaram a predominância de estudantes de enfermagem com até 25 anos. (8)(9)(10)(11) Com o objetivo de gerar perspectivas de crescimento e progresso, a entrada de jovens no ensino superior pode ser considerada como um fator positivo, refletindo uma melhora no acesso à formação universitária. Em contrapartida, a opção precoce pela profissão demanda do estudante amadurecimento no que se refere à certeza da escolha pela carreira.…”

Ocorrência de estresse entre acadêmicos de enfermagem de uma instituição de ensino superior

“…Os meios de transportes para chegar até a faculdade e os campos de estágios, de um modo geral, são considerados um fator estressante para os acadêmicos (11). A distância percorrida entre a faculdade, os campos de práticas e a residência do acadêmico estimulam altos níveis de estresse devido ao tempo despendido no deslocamento (20).…”

“…Conforme o acadêmico progride no curso de Enfermagem, mais responsabilidades e habilidades lhe são exigidas; nesse contexto, o momento das atividades do estágio é estressante. A relação entre o acadêmico e a equipe de saúde, em ambiente de prática assistencial, provoca alto nível de estresse, já que a maior parte dos acadêmicos é jovem e com pouca experiência de trabalhar coletivamente, além de apresentar habilidades interpessoais ainda em desenvolvimento (20).…”