The Impact of Stress on the Quality of Life of Greek and Filipino Nursing Students

Saturday, 28 October 2017

Denise M. McEnroe-Petitte, PhD
Nursing, Kent State University Tuscarawas, New Philadelphia, OH, USA

Background

Stress during nursing education is common and existing evidence shows that repeated exposure to high levels of stress has

adverse effects on the physiological and psychological well-being of the nursing students. However, no studies have been

located examining the impact of stress on nursing students’ social and functional well-being.

Aim

The aims of this study were to answer the following research questions: (1) what is the level of stress and types of stressors

perceived by Greek and Filipino nursing students? (2) what is the quality of life of the nursing students?, and (3) does

perceived stress affect the quality of life of nursing students?

Methods

This was a cross – sectional study utilizing convenience samples of 315 nursing students from two countries (Greece and the

Philippines) during the months of October 2015 to June 2016. Two standardized instruments were used to collect data: the

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Quality of Life Evaluation Skill (QOLES).

Results

Nursing students experienced moderate levels of stress (m = 2.03, SD = 0.63) mainly from “stress from assignment and

workload” (m = 2.38, SD = 0.801) and “stress from clinical environment” (m = 2.05, SD = 0.72). The “social” (3.22±0.87) and

the “psychological” dimensions (3.14±0.59) in the QoL were rated high by the students. Furthermore, stress experiences in

nursing students had no influence in their quality of life (p=0.392).

Conclusion

This study showed that nursing students are consistently exposed to high levels of stress mainly from assignments, heavy

workloads, and the clinical environment. However, this stress experience in nursing students had no influence on their quality

of life. Although, it has no impact on their QoL, stressful experiences during nursing education may still have adverse effects

on the workforce as this may eventually prevent prospective nurses from joining into the nursing profession. Thus, nurse

academicians should identify and support nursing students’ needs and should formulate effective interventions to effectively

reduce stress in clinical education and further enhance their quality of life thus maximizing their clinical experience.