Stress among student nurses at a university in the Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Nursing education and training places significant demands on commitment, dedication, and perseverance by nursing students. They experience increased levels of stress which negatively affect their learning abilities and thinking. Given the nature of the work nurses do, it is important to understand nursing students’ levels of stress, sources of stress and stress management strategies in dealing with the harmful effects of stress.This study aimed to investigate stress in student nurses at a university in the Western Cape by determining their perceived stress; describing their sources of stress and identifying the stress management activities used to manage stress.