Experiences of Academic Stress and Coping Mechanism of Nursing Students: A Narrative Inquiry

Abstract

Academic stress is a response to conflicts, pressure, and students' reactions during their education. Academic distress can affect the students negatively, not only physically but also psychologically. During the nursing study period, they must complete class-based assignments and exams, as well as develop various clinical competencies. Therefore, the essence of this study was to reveal the lived experiences of nursing students’ academic stress on theoretical coursework and clinical practice. Although nursing education is intended to develop competent and compassionate professionals, students often experience psychological, emotional, and physical strain as they strive to meet high academic and clinical expectations. The purpose of this research was to explore how nursing students perceive and interpret academic stress, and to understand the coping mechanisms they adopted throughout their educational journey. Following the interpretivist paradigm, this qualitative inquiry adopted a narrative approach to capture participants' subjective realities. Data were collected by in-depth interviews and interpreted thematically. Basically, the self-efficacy and resilience theories were used to understand nursing students’ academic stress and their coping strategies in response to personal and contextual realities. Informed consent was taken before the data collection. Confidentiality and anonymity were strictly followed. The nursing students experienced different stressors, such as long class hours, a heavy workload, and continuous formative and summative assessments. Not only that, but during clinical duty, different kinds of stressors were also reported. These stressors lead to anxiety, fear of failure, and psychological distress. Many students expressed inadequate institutional support and mentoring. They expressed the reality of taking stress-calming medication. However, the resilience is achieved through coping strategies such as listening to music, seeking social support, practicing self reflection, and, when necessary, accessing counseling services. Based on the findings, it is concluded that nursing students experienced physical and emotional exhaustion during their studies. Nursing institutions must prioritize supportive teaching–learning environments, empathetic mentorship to promote students’ well-being, and the preparation of resilient future nurses.