1.
TOPIC:
IN
SUPPORT
OF
NURSING
STUDENTS’
MENTAL
HEALTH,
STRESS
RESILIENCY
RELATED
TO
DEMANDING
NURSING
PROGRAM
CURRICULA
SUBMITTED
BY:
OHIO
STUDENT
NURSES’
ASSOCIATION
City/State:
Columbus,
Ohio
AUTHORS:
Primary
Author,
Ildiko
Yuryev
President;
Genevieve
Blank,
Legislative
Director;
Jamie
Burchett
Breakthrough
to
Nursing
Director;
Sarah
Cruzan
Communications
Director
WHEREAS,
There
is
a
concern
that
the
competing
demands
of
modern
nursing
programs
place
the
students
under
considerable
pressure.
Given
the
number
of
reported
stressors,
it
is
possible
that
the
nursing
programs
may
present
real
challenges
for
students’
mental
health.
(Timmins,
Corroon,
Byrne,
&
Mooney,
2011,
p.
760);
and
WHEREAS,
Students
experienced
increasing
levels
of
stress
and
use
of
negative
coping
mechanisms
as
the
program
progressed.
Fourth
year
students
were
more
likely
to
report
that
their
overall
program
caused
them
stress,
clinical
placements
were
stressful
and
that
assignments
and
exams
caused
stress.
(Jimenez,
Martinez
Navia-­‐Osoria,
Vacas
Diaz,
2010,
p.
453;
Timmins
et
al.,
2011,
p.
763);
and
WHEREAS,
Students
perceived
clinical
stressors
more
intensely
than
academic
and
external
stressors,
and
showed
psychological
symptoms
more
frequently
than
physiological
symptoms.
(Jimenez
et
al.,
2010.,
p.
453);
and
WHEREAS,
General
self-­‐esteem
decreased
throughout
the
nursing
program
and
was
lowest
at
the
end
of
training
which
causes
students
to
lack
self-­‐confidence,
struggle
to
connect
with
new
people
and
wishing
that
they
were
able
to
change.
(Edwards,
Burnard,
Bennet
&
Hebden,
2009,
p.
82);
and
WHEREAS,
An
overall
increase
in
stress
levels
is
correlated
with
increased
psychological
morbidity,
as
indicated
by
the
positive
relationship
between
the
General
Health
Questionnaire
(GHQ)
scores,
neuroticism
and
the
negative
coping
mechanisms
of
avoidance
and
emotion-­‐oriented
coping.
(Deary,
Watson,
&
Hogston,
2003,
p.
78);
and
WHEREAS,
Burnout
is
a
psychological
state
that
is
characterized
by
a
constellation
of
symptoms
including
emotional
exhaustion,
depersonalization,
and
decreased
perceptions
of
personal
accomplishment.
There
is
a
significant
correlation
between
reduction
in
depersonalization
and
improvement
in
personal
accomplishment
in
the
presence
of
peer
and
mentor
support
that
leads
to
lower
levels
of
emotional
exhaustion.
(Kravits,
McAllister-­‐Black,
Grant,
&
Kirk,
2010,
p.1);
and
WHEREAS,
Positive
aspects
of
personality
are
more
likely
to
lead
to
aspects
of
burnout,
therefore
students
with
more
outgoing
personalities
are
more
likely
to
suffer
emotional
exhaustion.
(Deary
et
al.,
2003,
p.
71);
and
WHEREAS,
Self-­‐care
can
help
one
cope
with
stressors
inherent
to
both
practicing
nurses
and
nursing
students,
and
positively
affects
clinical
decision-­‐making
(Blum,
2014);
and
WHEREAS,
Self-­‐care
not
only
has
personal
benefits
but
also
may
help
student
nurses
to
role
model
desirable
self-­‐care
behaviors
to
others
(Blum,
2014);
and
WHEREAS,
Properly
planned
intervention
programs
are
expected
to
positively
influence
burnout
and
mental
health.
Person-­‐directed
interventions
programs
are
cognitive
behavioral
measures
aimed
at
enhancing
competence
and
personal
coping
skills,
social
support
or
different
kinds
of
relaxation
exercises.
Organization-­‐directed
interventions
are
changes
in
procedures
aimed
at
decreasing
demand,
increasing
control
and
the
level
of
participation
in
decision-­‐making.
A
systematic
review
of
25
studies
showed
that
82%
of
all
person-­‐directed
interventions
led
to
a
significant
reduction
in
burnout
or
positive

2. changes
in
its
risk
factors,
lasting
up
to
6
months
after
the
intervention.
(Awa,
Plauman,
Walter,
2010,
p.
189);
therefore
be
it
RESOLVED,
that
the
National
Student
Nurses
Association
(NSNA)
demonstrate
its
ongoing
commitment
to
increase
awareness
of
stress-­‐related
behaviors
among
nursing
students,
and
develop
a
program
to
educate
this
population
on
stress
resiliency
and
effective
coping
mechanisms,
if
feasible;
and
be
it
further
RESOLVED,
that
that
the
NSNA
publish
regular
articles
on
the
topic
of
nursing
school
self-­‐care
in
the
Imprint
Magazine,
if
feasible;
and
be
it
further
RESOLVED,
that
that
the
NSNA
promotes
nursing
student
involvement
in
the
ANA
Healthy
Nurse
Health
Risk
Appraisal
to
increase
risk
awareness;
and
be
it
further
RESOLVED,
that
that
the
NSNA
encourages
nursing
schools
to
undergo
a
curriculum
re-­‐evaluation
to
assure
that
students
are
not
unnecessarily
overloaded
in
academic
and
clinical
settings
if
feasible;
and
be
it
further
RESOLVED,
that
that
the
NSNA
encourages
nursing
schools
to
implement
successful
mentoring
programs
if
feasible;
and
be
it
further
RESOLVED,
that
that
the
NSNA
requests
the
American
Association
of
Colleges
of
Nursing
to
mandate
accredited
nursing
schools
to
offer
elective
coursework
in
self-­‐care
strategies,
in
order
to
guide
nursing
students
through
decreasing
stress
at
an
early
point
in
their
career,
and
implement
effective
self-­‐care
habits
if
feasible;
and
be
it
further
RESOLVED,
that
the
NSNA
send
a
copy
of
this
resolution
to
the
American
Association
of
Colleges
of
Nursing,
the
American
Nurses
Association,
and
all
others
deemed
appropriate
by
the
NSNA
Board
of
Directors.