Stress, Sleep, and Resilience Among Rural BSN Students in a New Nursing Program.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students experience stress that may impact their sleep and resilience, especially those attending rural campuses that may have potentially limited access to resources. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among perceived stress, sleep quality, resilience, and demographics and predictors of resilience among senior BSN students. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, perceived stress, sleep quality, resilience, and demographic data were collected from a senior student cohort attending a new baccalaureate nursing program on a rural Appalachian campus (N = 16). Data were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate, and multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Perceived stress significantly associated with sleep quality, resilience, and gender. Perceived stress, sleep quality, and gender significantly explained 61% of the variance in resilience, with perceived stress as the strongest predictor. CONCLUSIONS: Early collaborative assessment and intervention focused on mitigating stress may promote improved sleep and resilience. Availability of resources for students attending small rural campuses is essential.

Mothers overcoming remorse to care for self and baby: An emerging concept.

Objectives: Mothers with substance use disorder (SUD) experience a range of emotions such as feeling ostracized, diminished, and distressed while watching their baby experience withdrawal from substances. Being fully present in the now moment is to trust self to do what is best by moving beyond perceived boundaries to care for self and baby. The process of concept building arose from nursing practice encounters in a special care nursery (SCN) for babies who experienced withdrawal from substances. Method: Liehr and Smith's 10-phase concept building approach was used to guide the development of this concept. Concept building began with a practice story. The emerging concept was named, core qualities identified, and supported through a literature review. The middle range theory of uncertainty in illness was chosen to serve as theoretical support for the concept. A model was created to provide clarity on the relationships within the concept. Result: A mini-saga was gathered from a mother in the SCN whose newborn had experienced withdrawal from substances. The minisaga follows: Due to the baby's discomfort and judging eyes of the staff, she was unable to mother her baby. As the baby recovered, she asked for help, comforted her baby, and gained confidence to move beyond perceived boundaries to become the mother she envisioned. Overcoming perceived boundaries to attend to self and baby is trusting oneself to do what is best in spite of feeling ostracized, diminished, and distressed while watching baby withdraw from substances. Conclusion: This concept provides the perspective of mothers with SUD through intermodernism from experiences in nursing practice. The Uncertainty in Illness theory further allows practitioners to gain an understanding of the role uncertainty plays in this unique situation.