PERCEIVED STRESS LEVEL OF NURSING STUDENTS AT A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Objective: to identify the levels of stress perceived in undergraduate Nursing students at a public university in southern Brazil. Method: a descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. Data were collected between December 2018 and March 2019, using a Likert scale. Results: the participants of the study were 164 Nursing students from different stages of graduation from a public institution in the south of the country. Domains were projected from the PSS-10 issues, conflating positive and negative feelings. The students, in general, reached a mean level of perceived stress (25.4). In the positive domains, the established mean was 1.8 and in the negative domains, it was three. Students in the second, fourth and sixth stages reached higher levels when compared to the general mean. The students in the ninth stage, on the other hand, had the lowest mean of stress. Conclusion: the university is not the only source of stress for Nursing students, but it must be considered that stressors are present during training. The level of stress is an important indicator of mental health among students