Abstract

Undergraduate nursing students experience high levels of academic and psychosocial stress, which can negatively impact learning and well-being. National and international evidence indicate that a large proportion of nursing students report elevated stres throughout their education. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to evaluate the effect of faculty-facilitated mindfulness techniques on undergraduate nursing students’ perceived stress over one academic semester. A repeated-measures approach was used, with students completing the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) at baseline (week 1), mid-semester (week 7), and post-intervention (week 14). Faculty shared brief mindfulness techniques, including guided breathing, guided imagery, and reflective journaling, during weeks 8 through 14. Complete paired data were obtained from 47 students and analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons. Mean perceived stress increased from baseline (M = 19.89, SD = 6.37) to mid-semester (M = 23.23, SD = 5.51) and decreased post-intervention (M = 20.60, SD = 5.88). A significant effect of time was identified, F(2, 45) = 11.27, p < .001, partial η² = .334. Findings demonstrated that brief, faculty-facilitated mindfulness techniques were feasible and associated with meaningful improvements in student stress during periods of heightened academic demand. Integrating these practices into undergraduate nursing curricula represents a practical, low-cost strategy to promote student well-being, resilience, and academic sustainability.

Author Details

Mandy McGuire, DNP, RN, CMSRN

Sigma Membership

Omicron at-Large

Type

DNP Capstone Project

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Quality Improvement

Research Approach

Mixed/Multi Method Research

Keywords:

Undergraduate Nursing Students, Nursing Students, Mindfulness, Perceived Stress, Subjective Stress, Coping, Coping Strategies, Nursing Education, Trauma-Informed Education, Stress Management

Advisor

Janina Johnson

Second Advisor

Dawn Rivas

Third Advisor

Beth McManis

Fifth Advisor

Lonnie Wederski

Degree

DNP

Degree Year

2026

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Self-submission

Date of Issue

2026-10-20

Full Text of Presentation

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