STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG BACCALAUREATE NURSING STUDENTS IN TWO SELECTED UNIVERSITIES IN NIGERIA

Stress is a public health concern and about one-third of individuals experience it worldwide. It has been established that stress is a major health concern among students.The study aimed to assess the level of stress,and identify the sources of stress and coping strategies utilized by thebaccalaureate nursing students in two selected universities in Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive design was utilized. The study settings were the Departmentsof Nursing Science University of Ibadan, Ibadan, and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. A total of 219 baccalaureate nursing students in 300 – 500 levels were sampled using a multi-stage sampling method. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from UI/UCH Ethics Committee. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Findings showed that 11.4% of the respondents had a low-stress level, 68.5% had moderate stress, and 20.1% had a high-stress level. The students’ predominant stress sources were academic workload (73.1%) and financial difficulties (55.7%). The common coping strategies used among the students were self-distraction and instrumental support; means being 41.6 ± 8.37 SD and 33.3 ± 7.23 SD respectively. Respondents’ coping strategies were significantly related to their level of stress (X2 = 6.091; p = 0.05). There was no significant difference between sources of stress among students of both universities (t (217) = 1.588; p = 0.114). It is imperative for students to be exposed to stress management techniques and effective coping strategies during stress.