Nursing Students Anxiety level and Perceptions of Anxiety-Producing Situations in the Clinical Setting

Aspects of nursing student's clinical experiences are anxiety provoking. High anxiety may contribute to decreased learning. The purpose of this study was to identify the level of anxiety and potentially anxiety-producing clinical experience, the relation between the level of anxiety and their Trait-Anxiety and State-Anxiety. Finally, it is aimed at getting preparing data for guidance of students which can enhance learning effect of students for clinical experience. The samples of this study were 36 junior students(1 semester experience) and 44 senior students (3 semester experience) from Junior College of Nursing in Seoul on September 1996. The tools of this study were two kinds ; questionare of Spielberg' STAI measuring State and Trait-Anxiety, and author's for measuring the level of Anxiety producing situations and 10cm visual analogue scale was also used for measuring self stated level of anxiety on clinical setting. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS using percentage, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The self perception of anxiety level was 4.3/10cm and the level of anxiety in clinical setting situations was 3.5/5. 2. Among 20 questions for perception of anxiety-producing situations in the clinical setting. 'deficit of nursing knowledge' was the highest item(4.18), 'vagueness of role'(4.11), 'lack of nursing skill'(4.00), 'evaluation by faculty'(4.00) 'fear of making mistakes'(3.81) 'initial clinical experience on a unit'(3.76) 'initial application of nursing knowledge'(3.74) in turn. 3. The level of State-anxiety of senior students was higher than junior's (p=0.005)and the level of Trait-Anxiety of insufficient interpersonal relationship and unhealthy students were higher than others (p=0.015) There was no differences according to the student's grade in level of anxiety. 4. Both of self-stated anxiety and situationa anxiety of unhealthy students were high (p=0.007, p=0.000) and the level of self-stated anxiety of unsatisfied students for selection major and clinical experience were high (p=0.050, p=0.009). 5. Self-stated anxiety and situation anxiety (p=0.0000), self-stated- anxiety and Trait-anxiety(p=0.003), situation anxiety and Trait-anxiety(p=0.004), and Trait-anxiety and state-anxiety(p=0.000) of the students were interrelated. By the above conclusion, the nursing students still feel anxiety on clinical experience and on making a mistake due to the lack of their nursing knowledge and skill. And the students are afraid of the faculties' evaluation. In addition, the students who are not healthy and have not sufficiently interpersonal relationship feel more anxiety. But, since there was no difference significantly between each grade, we think it is needed that further study on the same topic in large samples. And, we have to equip the students with much nursing knowledge and philosophy apparently before the students have clinical experience. Finally, the faculty have to reduce the students' anxiety by making a climate of acceptance in clinical setting with good personality.