Nursing Student Stress and Demographic Factors

Statement of Problem \nNursing students experience high levels of stress (Beck, Hackett, Srivastava, McKim, & Rockwell, 1997), have been shown to be at increased risk for physical and psychiatric illnesses (Beck & Srivastava, 1991) and stress has been shown to increase dropout rates (O???Regan, 2005). No prior published studies that focus on the relationship between demographic variables and reported stress levels in nursing students have been published. \n \nSources of Data \nData was collected from a convenience sample of all nursing students currently enrolled at California State University San Marcos. Students completed an online survey that included demographic data, the Student Nurse Stress Index (SNSI) (Jones & Johnston, 1999), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Strahan & Gerbasi, 1972). \n \nConclusions Reached \nTwo independent variables, GPA (p=.001) and Study Time (p=.013) showed statistical significance in affecting the self-reported stress levels as measured by the SNSI.