Evaluating nursing students clinic stress, and coping with stress during the clinic first day of the Woman Health and Diseases Nursing clinical course

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the clinical stress levels, stress sources and coping strategies of Turkish male and female nursing students attending the Woman’s Health and Disease Nursing clinical course on the first day. Method and material: This cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2010 at a public university located in Istanbul. The study group included 98 nursing students. Data were collected from the nursing students in the study group using a self-report questionnaire, clinical stress questionnaire and Carver Coping scale. The data were analyses using percentages, chi-square analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test and Cronbach's alpha coefficients Results: Approximately half of the male students (47.6%) reported that they experienced stress since the patient group consisted of females and the majority of male students (76.2%) stated that they were subject to gender discrimination at the clinic and there was a significant difference between the male and female students. The male and female nursing students’ stress levels and Carver Coping scale total score of  on the first day of the Woman’s Health and Disease nursing clinical course was similar (p>0.05). Conclusions: Male students experience stress because the patient group consisted of women, the majority of male students reported that they were subject to gender discrimination and gender discrimination was a source of stress for them. Female and male nursing students experienced stress in the first day of the clinical course of the Woman's Health and Diseases Nursing course, and that the stressors and coping strategies were similar across genders. In the clinical training for the Woman's Health and Diseases Nursing course lectures should be aware of possible stressors and, if necessary, should help students in positive coping.