Academic-Related Stress Among Ghanaian Nursing Students

AIM: The life of a student may be affected by different stressors in both the internal and external environment. Although people from all walks of life experience stress on daily basis, students are more likely to experience stressful situations because of their academic requirements. To identify stressors among nursing students in Ghana. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 400 students sampled from first year to fourth year students. Students were included in the study if they are above 18 years, nursing students and have been registered by the university for the 2019/2020 academic year. RESULTS: A majority of the students (73.0%) perceived themselves to be stressed with academic-related work and cognitive, behavioural and emotional symptoms were highly prevalent among the students. Students enrolled in the regular programme were 0.09 times (p <.0001) less likely stressed than those in the modular stream of the training programme and female students compared to their male counterparts were 2.18 times (p <.0001) more likely feeling stressed. CONCLUSION: The students with high cognitive symptoms also show high emotional and behavioural symptoms and vice versa. Nursing training institutions may consider further studies to investigate the impact of stress on academic performances and identify appropriate support students.