Factors affecti̇ng health-promoting behavi̇ors i̇n nursi̇ng students: A structural equation modeling approach.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction program applied to a sample of Turkish nursing students. METHOD: The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. Program sessions of 90-95 minutes were given twice a week for 12 weeks. The data were collected using the Nursing Education Stress Scale, the Mindfulness Scale, and the Stress Management Styles Scale. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found in the mean post-test and mean follow-up scores obtained by the control group and the experimental group on the Nursing Education Stress Scale and its sub-dimensions. On the Mindfulness Scale, a statistically significant difference was found between the mean pre-test and post-test scores obtained by the experiment and control groups. CONCLUSION: The results derived from this study suggest that the mindfulness-based stress reduction program is effective in reducing the stress experienced by students during nursing education, increasing their mindfulness, strengthening their coping mechanisms for stress, increasing their use of self-confident and optimistic approaches, and decreasing their use of the helpless approach.

Attitudes of Community-Leading Occupational Groups Towards Mental Illnesses: The Sample of a City in Western Turkey.

This descriptive study aims to determine attitudes of community-leading occupational groups towards mental illnesses. The sample of this descriptive study consisted of a total of 1100 participants from clergymen, headmen, teachers, policemen and primary healthcare professionals working in Düzce, Turkey. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form and the Beliefs Toward Mental Illness Scale-BTMIS. Occupational groups were determined to have moderate beliefs about mental diseases according to their BTMIS scale total scores. The occupational groups that had most negative beliefs toward mental illnesses were headmen, police officers, teachers, healthcare professionals and clergymen, respectively. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, and percentage. Community-leading occupational groups should be actively involved in anti-stigma activities to change quickly and effectively community attitudes towards mental illnesses.

Relationship between mental health of nursing students and coping, self-esteem and social support.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the mental health of Turkish nursing students and the stress experienced during their education, their ways of coping, self-esteem, social support and individual factors. BACKGROUND: Studies on nursing students have shown that students who were not in possession of effective coping strategies were at risk of presenting psychiatric symptoms when under stressful conditions. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, case-control study. The sample consisted of 516 nursing students who were studying in an undergraduate program in Turkey. Participants provided data on sociodemographic characteristics by completing the Nursing Education Stress Scale, Coping Behavior Inventory for Nursing Students, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the General Health Questionnaire. RESULTS: The main factors which were considered to affect the mental health of nursing students, including "total stress" and "self-esteem" scores, "general health" evaluation, "satisfaction with school life" and "presence of a negative event within the last year", were included in all models of the General Health Questionnaire analysis. Analysis of the data indicated that these factors had strong relationship with mental health of the nursing students. DISCUSSION: It is recommended that the mental health of students be monitored throughout the nursing education period and that preventive practices should be established in order to forestall mental health problems amongst nursing students. CONCLUSION: The stress levels of nursing students should be monitored in order to facilitate their ability to cope with stressful situations during their training, and components for coping with stress should be included in the curricula of nursing departments.

The relationship between educational stress, stress coping, self-esteem, social support, and health status among nursing students in Turkey: A structural equation modeling approach.

BACKGROUND: Nursing education can be a stressful experience. To fully benefit from this experience and develop a positive professional identity, it is essential for nursing students to effectively cope with education-related stress. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between nursing students' education-related stress and stress coping, self-esteem, social support, and health status. METHOD: This study utilized a cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design. The sample consisted 517 nursing students from a bachelor program in Turkey during the 2014-2015 academic year. Participants provided data on sociodemographic characteristics as well as completing the following instruments: Nursing Education Stress Scale, Coping Behavior Inventory for Nursing Students, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and General Health Questionnaire. Relationships were examined using multivariate structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Results indicated that nursing students' stress coping levels were affected by self-esteem and social support. Additionally, this interaction appears to affect general health status. Although the direct effect of stress on coping was non-significant, its overall effect was significant within the model. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to conduct further intervention studies examining the role of self-esteem and social support in facilitating nursing students' stress-related coping during their education.