Predicting nursing students’ psychological well-being: network analysis based on a model of thriving through relationships

Abstract

Background Psychological well-being plays a vital role in nursing students’ mental health and affects their decisions to stay in the nursing profession, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. Close relationships are undeniably linked to psychological well-being, but it is unknown how the specific pathways through which close relationships are related to each other and which are most strongly linked to nursing students’ psychological well-being. Aims To explore the network structure, central and bridge factors among well-being characteristics, and predictors based on a model of thriving through relationships. Methods A cross-sectional research design was used with a sample of undergraduate nursing students (531 participants from the Southwest part of China). We used a network model to analyze the network structure of perceived social support, mindfulness, self-integrity, self-compassion, professional self-concept, savoring, intentional self-regulation, non-relational self-expansion, relational self-expansion, attachment insecurity, and psychological well-being. Results A highly interconnected network of psychological well-being featured predictors and traits were formed. Node 8 (self-kindness), node 9 (self-judgment), and node 23 (non-relational self-expansion) were the predictors with the highest centrality in the network. Perceived social support and professional self-concept were most central in linking predictors to psychological well-being traits. Attachment insecurity was a non-supportive factor for predicting psychological well-being among female nursing students. Conclusions Interventions based on these supportive/non-supportive predictors, which operate on different psychological levels, hold promise to achieve positive effects on psychological well-being among nursing students.

The intervention effect of mental health knowledge integrated into ideological and political teaching on college students’ employment and entrepreneurship mentality

“… Davoudian et al (2021) proposed that the understanding and handling of the value relationship between the “small self” and “big self” is the fundamental problem of value guidance. Zhou et al (2022) said that the school’s philosophy and politics course is an important course to help students form a world outlook and an outlook on life and values, arm students with Marxist theory, and support social builders and achievers. Conley et al (2022) proposed that a distinctive feature of ideological and political education in Chinese colleges and universities in the development process is to adhere to the guidance of morality and talent, and focus on constantly adhering to and improving the party’s leadership, occupying the ideological front, and strengthening ideological and theoretical education and value guidance.…”

Examination of Nurse Candidates' Vocational Outcome Expectations, Career Goal Discrepancy and Psychological Well-Being Based on Their Genders

“…Nurse students emphasized their career as stressful more than other healthcare disciplines students (27). Psychological well-being has an important role in nursing students' mental health and it affects their decisions to enter and remain in the nursing field and successfully adapt to college/university life (28)(29)(30).…”

“…Although there are some studies which focus on nursing students' psychological wellbeing (13,22,27,29,30,(35)(36)(37)(38)(39), there is no any study which handle nurses candidates' vocational outcome expectations, career goal discrepancy and their psychological well-being based on their gender.…”

Nursing students' perceptions of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts mental well-being and educational environment

“…The mental well-being of nursing students and the educational environment can affect their academic success. The mental well-being of students greatly impacted retention rates, intent to stay, and drop-out rates of nursing programs in the U.S. during the COVID-19 outbreak [ 1 ]. Nursing shortages highlight the importance of addressing nursing students' psychological needs and providing them with an educational environment conducive to safe and effective learning, especially in the U.S. By 2030, the U.S. will need 1.2 million new nurses to address the shortage [ 2 ].…”