FACTORS INFLUENCING STRESS AMONG NURSING STUDENTS OF CHRISLAND UNIVERSITY, OGUN STATE.

ABSTRACT Nursing is a challenging profession that requires extensive training in nursing school. Throughout their training, nursing students are exposed to a range of challenging scenarios that contribute to stress, which has consistently attracted research focuses. This study examined factors that influence stress among nursing students, with a view to investigating the coping techniques used by Chrisland University trainee nurses. Descriptive – cross-sectional study was employed. Multistage sampling was employed to select 150 nursing students from Chrisland University, Abeokuta. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, focusing on evaluating stress scale and coping technique scale. Lazarus and Folkman’s Cognitive Appraisal theory served as the framework. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), with results presented in table of frequencies and percentages, with emphasis on Chi-square statistics. 54.7% of nursing students experienced moderate stress. Assignment and workload stress, stress from lecturers and nursing staff, and stress from peers and daily life were key causes of stress to nursing students. Key coping strategies used by nursing students include optimism, problem solving, and transference. One of the least effective coping strategies used by nursing students is avoidance. Stress level had significant correlation with academic year of students (p = 0.005). There was significant relationship between nursing students' stress levels and their coping techniques. (p = 0.00, p = 0.002, p = 0.004, p =0.00). Majority of nursing students reported moderate stress across all levels. Nursing students should be taught stress management and introduced to coping seminars due to the nature of their course. Nursing students should be taught coping mechanisms. Keywords: Students coping mechanism, Stress syndrome, Coping strategies, Stress management Word count: 257