Title

NURSING STUDENTS’ PERCEIVED STRESS LEVEL, COPING STRATEGIES, AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Author(s)

KAYE A. BA-ACLO

XYRA JEAN B. BERNARDO

JANNALOU B. MAWILI

MARVELOU A. ODRUNIA

MARIA KRISTINA L. REJOY

Affiliation

Misamis University

Degree Program

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Contributor

Taghoy, Sammy B.

Duyag, Merasol O.

Santos, Susan N.

Gomez, Grethel A.

Year

2024

Abstract

Stress is a phenomenon that is widely acknowledged, and there is compelling evidence showing that nursing programs are inherently stressful. Increased stress levels experienced by nursing students can detrimentally affect their memory, concentration, and problem-solving capabilities, potentially resulting in diminished learning outcomes, coping mechanisms, academic performance, and retention rates. The study aimed to determine the perceived stress level, coping strategies, and academic performance among first-year nursing students. The study employed a descriptive-correlational design. The respondents of the study were 180 first-year nursing students from one of the universities in Ozamiz City, Philippines, selected using stratified sampling. A combination of a standardized research survey and a modified questionnaire were utilized to gather data. The data were analyzed using the frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. The findings revealed that first-year nursing students perceived a high level of stress, whereas the coping strategies used were quite effective. The overall academic performance of the first-year nursing students was very satisfactory. Further, their perceived stress level was significantly correlated with their academic performance. However, academic performance was not influenced by the coping strategies. To conclude, many freshmen nursing students felt nervous, stressed, and had difficulties reaching to such a great extent that they felt they were unable to surmount them. In this regard, accepting the reality that something has happened was the most effective coping strategy used. With respect to academic performance, most of the first-year nursing students were very satisfactory, despite their highly stressful environment and demanding program. Additionally, the amount of stress that the first-
year nursing students experienced is associated with how well they performed in school. Whereas the coping strategies employed by the students do not have a direct impact on their academic performance.

Keywords

academic performance, coping strategies, descriptive-correlation, freshmen nursing students, perceived stress level