Other Titles
Coping with student stress: A world view
Abstract
Session presented on Thursday, July 21, 2016:
Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to examine two personality characteristics, hardiness and trait anxiety, among junior baccalaureate nursing students living and studying in a stressful environment, with the aim of supporting them in their ability to cope effectively.
Methods: This research was conducted at Ashkelon Academic College, Israel. Ashkelon, a city located in South Western Israel (population of 140,000) has been a constant target of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip (distance 14 km), most intensively during 2014, causing damage to property and human life. Approximately 70% of the students live in or around the city. The sample consisted of 95 1st and 2nd year nursing students who had not as yet begun their clinical experiences. Data were collected through a 3 part structured questionnaire: The Hardiness Questionnaire (Kobasa, 1979), Trait Anxiety Questionnaire (Spilberger, 197) and demographic data (age, sex, army service, country of birth, family status, current place of residence).
Results: The mean score of the total sample for personality hardiness was 4.31 (a maximum score of 6). The mean score of the total sample for trait anxiety was 1.76 (maximum score of 4). Of all the demographic characteristics, only place of residence was found correlated with hardiness. Students who lived closer to the border had a lower hardiness score. A significant adverse relationship was found between trait anxiety and hardiness. Student nurses with a higher score of trait anxiety scored lower in hardiness.
Conclusion: The findings of stress research have suggested that stressful life events influence the average person's normal routine. The repeated exposure to stressful environments and the available repertoire of copying mechanisms may influence our personal resources and sometimes harm effective coping responses and ability to function to the full extents of our education and training. The mean score of personality hardiness for the total sample was found above the average. In spite of the exposure to intermittent but repeated life-threatening events for a prolonged period, students tried to cope effectively. Our responsibility as nurse educators to identify perceived stressful situations among students, often not correlated with their studies, and ensuring a safe environment, as much as possible in order to function effectively in their work environment will be discussed.
Sigma Membership
Unknown
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Hardiness, Stress, Student Nurses
Recommended Citation
Hendel, Tova, "Trait anxiety and hardiness among junior baccalaureate nursing students living in a stressful environment" (2016). INRC (Congress). 271.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2016/presentations_2016/271
Conference Name
27th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Conference Year
2016
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.
All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Trait anxiety and hardiness among junior baccalaureate nursing students living in a stressful environment
Cape Town, South Africa
Session presented on Thursday, July 21, 2016:
Purpose: The purpose of this presentation is to examine two personality characteristics, hardiness and trait anxiety, among junior baccalaureate nursing students living and studying in a stressful environment, with the aim of supporting them in their ability to cope effectively.
Methods: This research was conducted at Ashkelon Academic College, Israel. Ashkelon, a city located in South Western Israel (population of 140,000) has been a constant target of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip (distance 14 km), most intensively during 2014, causing damage to property and human life. Approximately 70% of the students live in or around the city. The sample consisted of 95 1st and 2nd year nursing students who had not as yet begun their clinical experiences. Data were collected through a 3 part structured questionnaire: The Hardiness Questionnaire (Kobasa, 1979), Trait Anxiety Questionnaire (Spilberger, 197) and demographic data (age, sex, army service, country of birth, family status, current place of residence).
Results: The mean score of the total sample for personality hardiness was 4.31 (a maximum score of 6). The mean score of the total sample for trait anxiety was 1.76 (maximum score of 4). Of all the demographic characteristics, only place of residence was found correlated with hardiness. Students who lived closer to the border had a lower hardiness score. A significant adverse relationship was found between trait anxiety and hardiness. Student nurses with a higher score of trait anxiety scored lower in hardiness.
Conclusion: The findings of stress research have suggested that stressful life events influence the average person's normal routine. The repeated exposure to stressful environments and the available repertoire of copying mechanisms may influence our personal resources and sometimes harm effective coping responses and ability to function to the full extents of our education and training. The mean score of personality hardiness for the total sample was found above the average. In spite of the exposure to intermittent but repeated life-threatening events for a prolonged period, students tried to cope effectively. Our responsibility as nurse educators to identify perceived stressful situations among students, often not correlated with their studies, and ensuring a safe environment, as much as possible in order to function effectively in their work environment will be discussed.