Stress and Mindfulness in Nursing Students

Saturday, 27 July 2019: 1:05 PM

Helen M. Taggart, PhD, RN
School of Nursing - Armstrong Campus, Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA, USA
Katrina Embrey, DNS, RN
School of Nursing, Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA, USA
Haresh Rochani, DrPH (BioStats)
Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public health, Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA, USA

Purpose: Nursing students experience significant stress that can lead to inability to concentrate, decreased memory, decreased problem solving, and illness (Turner & McCarthy, 2017). Literature has identified a range of beneficial physiological and psychological outcomes from regular practice of mindfulness. Benefits of regular mindfulness practice include reduced stress and anxiety Manocchi, 2016; Spadaro & Hunter, 2016; van der Riet, Lovett-Jones & Aquino-Russell, 2018). The purposes of this study were to : 1) identify the level of stress in the beginning and end of the semester and (2) identify the student perception of the benefits and uses of mindfulness.

Methods: This research was approved by the university Institutional Review Board prior to implementation. Students in first semester and third semester nursing courses were invited to participate. Students were surveyed using The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) (Cohen & Janicki-Deverts, 2012) at the beginning and end of the semester. During the semester, students had the opportunity to participate in 10-minute mindfulness sessions during or before class time. At the end of the semester, students were surveyed again using The Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen & Janicki-Deverts, 2012) and were asked to reflect on the mindfulness experience by answering open ended questions.

Results: A total of 278 students completed the survey at the beginning of the semester and 242 completed the survey at the end of the semester. SAS statistical software program was used to assess the effect variables of age, gender, nursing course, ethnicity, and marital status had on student's stress level. Multiple linear regression analysis (statistical significance p<.05) showed total stress level to be higher in the younger age groups when compared to those in the 45-64 year old age range and total stress level to be lower in those who were married when compared to those who were divorced or separated. Student comments on mindfulness practice fit into three categories: (1) usefulness now, (2) usefulness later, and (3) usefulness with patients.

Conclusion: Nursing students are stressed. Younger students in this study had increased stress and decreased coping from the beginning to the end of the study whereas married students had decreased stressed and coping. The findings of this mixed methods descriptive study revealed the mindfulness sessions were helpful and something they would possibly incorporate into a self care regime that could be used not only in personal time but during stressful days at work when dealing with difficult patients and families.

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