Correlation of Academic Stress with Age and Academic Year Among Nursing Students at Private Nursing Institute, Karachi, Pakistan

Stress is a complex process when people interpret demands, restrictions, or possibilities as challenging their ability to cope effectively. Objective: To explore the correlation of academic stress with age and academic year among nursing students at the private nursing institute in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from February to July 2023. A convenience sampling technique was utilized to approach study participants. A total of 206 nursing students were part of this study. Moreover, a reliable questionnaire was used for the data collection, consisting of demographic data, stress levels, contributing factors, and coping mechanisms. Results: This study revealed that 80.6% of nursing students had moderate and 14.1% had high academic stress. The study also identi�es a signi�cant association between academic year and age and academic stress (p-0.006) and (p-0.033). Conclusions: Educational institutions should develop specialized support programs because 80.6% of nursing students experience moderate academic stress and 14.1% experience high stress. Implement stress-management classes, counseling, and academic resources to assist students in handling the challenging tasks of their coursework. Students can be given valuable tools to handle academic stresses by including stress management techniques in the curriculum. These abilities include time management, study strategies, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques.

Volume 4, Issue 1 (Jan-Mar 2024) The study was a cross-sectional analytical study conducted from February to July 2023, targeting nursing students of different years: 1st,2nd,3rd, and 4th year.This study was conducted at Horizon School of Nursing and Health Sciences in Karachi, Pakistan.The sample size was calculated using OpenEpi.With a population size of 420, a con dence level of 95%, and an absolute precision of 5%, the required sample size was determined to be 206.The entire sample was collected from a single institute.As a result, in the current research investigation, a convenience sample strategy was used during data collection.The participants who met the selection criteria were included in the current research investigation.The Adopted survey questionnaire included relevant questions related to the study objectives, covering various aspects of the participant's demographic information.The stress survey questionnaire consists of 22 questions aimed at assessing the academic stress levels among students and three demographic questions like age, gender, and study years.It covers various aspects, including the causes of stress, academic concerns, nancial issues, interpersonal relationships, emotional well-being, and coping mechanisms.The 1st questions were about the cause of stress in the present academic year.Furthermore, the other 19 questions were in the form of a Likert scale of "strongly disagree to strongly agree."The other two questions were about coping strategies for stress.[10].Additionally, nursing students are frequently new to nursing and caregiving and are learning to deal with various people and situations.They are frequently the most junior members of a healthcare team.As a result of the requirement to learn to deal with various people and situations before practicing professionally, they are subjected to various stressors during their education and training.High workloads, dissatisfaction with their clinical experience, and stressful clinical surroundings are three reasons that contribute to the high amount of stress students are experiencing in their rst clinical practice program.These pressures in uence their learning, performance, and physical and emotional health and may negatively impact the quality of caregiving in the future [11].Research from Vietnam found that around half of the nursing students were stressed.Financial stress was the most distressing for students, followed by educational, clinical, and con dence demands.[12].Furthermore, stress can cause physical health di culties such as headaches, digestive problems, sleep abnormalities, and chronic exhaustion [13].In addition, stress can impair a nurse's ability to offer high-quality patient care, resulting in medical errors, poor communication with patients and colleagues, and lower patient satisfaction [14].Besides, stress can also cause mental health issues like anxiety, sadness, and exhaustion [15,16].Among nursing students, absenteeism and poor academic performance are the rst symptoms of mood disorders.Additionally, learning is a process that results in di cult situations, and students suffer a lot of academic, social, and emotional stress while still being students [17].In this regard, several studies have indicated that the academic period can be stressful for students due to the various factors they must manage that can negatively impact their health and quality of life.Balancing social and personal responsibilities, academic demands, and preparation for their future careers can be overwhelming [6].Moreover, individual experiences can vary signi cantly, and various cultural, social, and personal factors in uence the impact of age on academic stress.
Another study found age is a factor that impacts stress levels [18].This study aimed to investigate the age and academic differences in the experience of academic stress among nursing students, identifying potential factors contributing to these differences.thoroughly and provide a tick a checkbox indicating their agreement to participate.The consent form ensured that participants understood their rights and responsibilities as research participants.
The study examined academic stress in nursing students and found that the majority experienced moderate stress (80.6%).Moreover, those aged 22-27 experienced higher stress, and 4th-year students had the highest stress.
immune function [26].Moreover, a recent worldwide study highlighted the impact of academic stress on students.It was found that nursing students who experienced stress were less able to perform at their best and had growth and development inhibition [27].Reduced stress can lead to better physical health and overall well-being. .These ndings align with a study conducted in Italy that found that stress among nursing students is more than 70% [23].These ndings differ from the Spanish study, which found that moderate stress among the participants is 34.5% [7].Additionally, another study concluded that the nursing students in the study were subjected to moderate stress as a result of a variety of stressors.In reaction, they typically took a problem-solving strategy and avoided situations.However, colleges must develop a common strategy to help reduce stress among nursing students [24].Furthermore, the current ndings show that only 5.8% had mild stress.In this regard, a study from China shows 20% mild stress [25].Academic stress can negatively affect physical health, such as sleep disturbances, headaches, and lowered average 50.2791, and 4th-year students have the highest mean at 57.0580.

Table 2 :
Academic Stress among Nursing Students

Table 3 :
Stress in the Current Academic Context Meditation or deep breathing exercises are embraced by 29.1%.Socializing with friends or loved ones helps 26.7% cope, while 30.6% nd solace in listening to music.An equivalent percentage also recites the holy Quran, showing diverse strategies for stress management.

What are your methods to relieve stress?
Correlation of Academic Stress with Age and Academic Year LLP Copyright © 2024.Nursearcher, Published by Lahore Medical Research Center Nursearcher VOL. 4 Issue. 1 Jan-Mar 2024

Table 5 :
Association of Academic stress and age and Academic year