Effect of Stress-management Training on the Levels of Stress Among Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Objective To identify the sources and levels of stress among baccalaureate nursing students who haven't been in clinical practice, and to explore the effect of stress management on stress levels of them. Methods A qua-siexperimental pre-test post-test design was used in this study. Eighty students in the second and third year from Nursing School of Jilin University were selected as the subjects of the study. The subjects were allocated to the experimental and control group randomly with 40 subjects in each group. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire consisting of two parts: a demographic profile and Beck-Srivastava Stress Inventory (BSSI). Students in this study were taught stress management strategies which included understanding concepts and theories of stress, time management, relaxation skills, nutrition and exercise, and positive belief on life. Results The major sources of stress in baccalaureate nursing students who haven't been in clinical practice focused on the academic area (The stress level of the subjects before intervention were considerably higher than the accepted cut-off score (P0. 01); The mean score of stress level of the experimental group after intervention was lower than the control group(P 0.05). Conclusion The stress management program of this study had some positive impact on the stress levels of baccalaureate nursing students.