Stress and coping mechanisms of nursing students during clinical practice in Ghana

Stress impacts negatively and positively depending on how effectively the individual experiencing the phenomenon is able to cope. The objective of this study was to identify the stressors in clinical practice for nursing students and the coping mechanisms used. Eighty-nine (89) students from the Department of Nursing, KNUST were selected using systematic sampling methods. Respondents completed questionnaires, part of which was the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The common stressors identified include “when nurses' instructions are different from what is taught in class” and ‘feeling ignored by clinical nurses’. Fifty-nine percent (59%)of respondents experienced moderate to high levels of stress. Level of stress was found to decrease with increasing age and year of study; and matured students experienced a lower level of stress compared to the generics. Receiving moral support from family, developing cordial relationship with nurses and praying were among the common coping mechanisms identified. Students experienced stress in the clinical area and used coping strategies that were mainly relationship-based. Greater collaboration between educational and clinical institutions, tutorship and supportive supervision are recommended.Keywords: Stress, clinical practice, coping strategie