Stress and anxiety in Nursing students at the start of their clinical practice

Section: Originals

How to quote

Hernández Ortega R, González Pascual JL, Fernández Araque AM. Estrés y ansiedad al comienzo de las prácticas clínicas en estudiantes de Enfermería. Metas Enferm jul/ago 2020; 23(6):50-8. Doi: https://doi.org/10.35667/MetasEnf.2019.23.1003081613

Authors

Raquel Hernández Ortega1, Juan Luis González Pascual2, Ana Mª Fernández Araque3

Position

1Doctoranda en Enfermería de la Universidad Europea de Madrid. Máster Universitario en Enfermería en Urgencias, Emergencias y Transporte Sanitario. Enfermera del Hospital Sta. Bárbara del Servicio de Salud de Castilla y León2Doctor en Ciencias de la Enfermería. Universidad Europea de Madrid. Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas y de la Salud 3Doctora en Ciencias de la Enfermería. Campus Duque de Soria, Universidad de Valladolid

Contact address

Raquel Hernández Ortega. C/ Venerable Carabantes, 4. 42003 Soria.

Contact email: raquel_valencia92@hotmail.com

Abstract

Objective: to describe the perception of stress, the potentially stressful factors, and the anxiety among students from the School of Nursing of Soria at the start of their clinical practice; and to determine the impact on their perception of sociodemographical and academic factors, their family situation and lifestyles.
Method: a descriptive cross-sectional study with 61 students from the School of Nursing of Soria (course). The study included sociodemographical variables (gender, age, occupation), academic (year of admission, practicum I only, scholarship, other studies), family situation (place of residence, partner, dependent persons, health professional relatives, loss of relatives), lifestyles (smoking, drinking, physical exercise), stress and potential stressors (KEZKAK Questionnaire -min. 0 to max. 3 scores-) and State-Trait anxiety (STAI Questionnaire -min. 0 to max. 60 scores). Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted for the psychological variables.
Results: the study included 60 students (median age (Me= 21-year-old). The overall stress score presented a median score of 1.89 (IQR= 0.48). The factors perceived as more stressful were “lack of competence” (Me= 2.09; IQR= 0.43) and “impotence and uncertainty” (Me= 2.05; IQR= 0.54). The State-Trait anxiety presented a median score of 17 (IQR= 8) and 17.5 (IQR= 10), respectively. The level of stress, potential stressors and state anxiety were associated with gender (p< 0.05).
Conclusions: nursing students in their first clinical practice perceived moderately high levels of stress and moderate anxiety; the main stressors were “lack of competence” and “anxiety and uncertainty”. Gender is highly associated with stress and anxiety, and it is higher in women.

Keywords:

psychological stress; anxiety; nursing students; surveys and questionnaires; Healthcare crisis; however; structural and human aspects can and should be improved; adaptation psychological; health outcomes; however; Attitudinal beliefs; complex chronic patient; haloperidol; structural and human aspects can and should be improved; CCCS-18; consumption of alcoholic beverages; Torsades de Pointes; prevalence: descriptive cross-sectional study; results show that certain environmental conditions promote comfort; pandemics

Versión en Español

Título:

Estrés y ansiedad al comienzo de las prácticas clínicas en estudiantes de Enfermería