Nursing Students' Attitudes and Use of Holistic Therapies for Stress Relief.
J Holist Nurs
; 37(1): 6-17, 2019 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29519190
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this study was to explore student nurses' openness to using or recommending holistic therapies, the strategies they use to manage stress from school or work, and their perceptions of the impact of holistic therapies on personal health. STUDYDESIGN:
Qualitative component of a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study.METHODS:
A convenience sample of undergraduate nursing students in a southeastern U.S. university completed baseline surveys, including demographics and three open-ended questions regarding attitudes toward holistic therapies and strategies used for stress management. Qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken to identify recurring themes in textual data.FINDINGS:
Students are open to using or recommending holistic therapies but identify lack of knowledge and lack of time as barriers to their practice. Among strategies used by student nurses to manage stress from school or work were physical activity, prayer and meditation, time management, distraction, socialization, artistic pursuits, animal interactions, and other activities. Themes describing holistic therapies' impact on personal health were wholeness, self-empowerment, relaxation/restoration, and alternative/complement to traditional medicine.CONCLUSIONS:
Findings indicate receptiveness by student nurses to the use of holistic therapies but point to the need for the inclusion of informational as well as experiential education on holistic therapies within nursing curricula.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Therapeutic Methods and Therapies TCIM:
Terapias_mente_y_cuerpo
/
Meditacion
Main subject:
Stress, Psychological
/
Students, Nursing
/
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
/
Holistic Health
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
J Holist Nurs
Year:
2019
Type:
Article