A study of stress and burnout in nursing students in Hong Kong: A questionnaire survey

Watson, Roger, Deary, Ian, Thompson, David and Li, Gloria (2008) A study of stress and burnout in nursing students in Hong Kong: A questionnaire survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45 10: 1534-1542.


Author Watson, Roger
Deary, Ian
Thompson, David
Li, Gloria
Title A study of stress and burnout in nursing students in Hong Kong: A questionnaire survey
Journal name International Journal of Nursing Studies  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank A*)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2008-10
Sub-type Article
DOI 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2007.11.003
Volume number 45
Issue number 10
ISSN 0020-7489 ; 1873-491X
Start page 1534
End page 1542
Total pages 9
Place of publication Oxford, United Kingdom
Publisher Pergamon Press
Collection year 2009
Language eng
Subject C1
920210 Nursing
111099 Nursing not elsewhere classified
Formatted abstract Background
Stress in nursing students may be related to attrition from nursing programmes and lead to a shortage of nurses entering clinical careers. In addition, stress leads to psychological morbidity which may have profound adverse consequences for individual nursing students.

Objectives
To follow a cohort of nursing students from entry to their programme to the end of the first year and to study the interrelationship between a range of psychological variables including personality, stress, coping and burnout.

Design
Prospective, repeated measures survey using self-administered questionnaires.

Setting
A university school of nursing in Hong Kong.
Participants: Students were selected on the basis of entry to their nursing programme in 2004; 158 students entered the study and 147 completed; 37 were male and 121 were female at entry. The mean age of the cohort at entry was 19.1 (S.D. 0.85); ages ranged from 18 to 26.

Methods
The questionnaires administered at wave 1 were: the NEO Five Factor Inventory, the Coping in Stressful Situations questionnaire, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Stress in Nursing Students questionnaire. At wave 2 the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Stress in Nursing Students questionnaire were administered.

Results
Students suffered greater levels of psychological morbidity and burnout at the second time wave and this was largely explained by the personality trait of neuroticism. Stress also increased and this was largely explained by emotion-oriented coping.

Conclusions
Undertaking a nursing programme leads to increased level of stress, burnout and psychological morbidity and this is largely related to individual personality and coping traits.
Keyword Burnout
Coping
General health
Nurses
Stress
Students
Q-Index Code C1
Q-Index Status Confirmed Code

 
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Created: Fri, 17 Apr 2009, 17:43:33 EST by Allison Peacock on behalf of Faculty Of Health Sciences