Xuelin Wang
Sichuan University, China
Title: Perceived stress and coping styles among Chinese nursing undergraduates during clinical practice
Biography
Biography: Xuelin Wang
Abstract
Background: Clinical practice is one of the crucial components in nursing education, studies showed that the initial period of clinical practice can bring high pressure to nursing students, especially the first five months. Because of the multiple events, such as took exams and found jobs, stress levels would occur large fluctuation, it is necessary to give timely interventions. Current studies were to compare undergraduate and college practice nursing students or only for undergraduate nursing students, not yet for different levels of undergraduate nursing students. The key undergraduates who had higher scores in college entrance examination than ordinary undergraduates and come to first-class university, while ordinary undergraduates are from second-class university. Objectives: This investigation was to analyse related factors and the correlation between stress level and coping styles among different levels of Chinese nursing undergraduates during clinical practice. Methodology: 52 key and 53 ordinary undergraduates who had finished 5 months clinical practice completed a self-administrative survey including demographics, Nursing Students Stress Scale and Simple Coping Style Questionnaire. Results: Results showed that undergraduates perceived a moderate level of stress, key undergraduates stress (M=2.76, SD=0.70) was higher than ordinary undergraduates (M=2.35, SD=0.69). The most common stressor for key undergraduates was social support and professional identity (M=3.25, SD=0.89), while for ordinary undergraduates was clinical work (M=2.61, SD=1.02). Undergraduates took more positive coping styles such as transference and staying optimistic. Key undergraduates negative coping styles and stress levels were positively correlated(r =0.281, P<0.05), and clinical teaching stress, family registered residence type and whether it is the only child were the influence factors of negative coping styles. For ordinary undergraduates negative coping styles were positively correlated with working environment and interpersonal stress level (r =0.303, P<0.05), positive coping styles and clinical work stress were negatively correlated(r =-0.279, P<0.05). Conclusions/Recommendations: Clinical educators and nursing colleges should pay attention to the difference of the stressors and coping styles among different levels of nursing undergraduates during clinical practice, and take the targeted effective pressure management strategy to improve the stress response and stress management ability of practice nursing students.