Other Titles
Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Background: Students enrolled in nursing programs have clinical, academic, and personal challenges which can lead to depression, anxiety, and burnout (Vargas-Benitez et al., 2023). Challenges are likewise present in nurses who practice in a variety of settings and nurses have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and burnout compared to the general population (Guttormson et al., 2022). Studies have shown that the practice of self-care decreases depressive and anxiety symptomatology (Pilkington et al., 2020) and burnout (Horn, 2020) and increases resilience (Blackburn et al., 2020).
Methods: This study is a three-year prospective repeated measures cohort trial for pre-licensure nursing students entering one of three tracks at a large university in the southwest United States in which integrative self-care is introduced in varying degrees depending on the track. One week prior to beginning a pre-licensure program, students were invited to participate in this study by participating in data collection at three time points throughout their four-semester program and after six months of clinical practice. Screening measures for stress, anxiety, and depression were administered in addition to measures of resilience and self-care. This study is measuring the effects of self-care embedded within the prelicensure programs.
Results: Students were recruited over three semesters. Sixty-nine students participated in the baseline measures. This study is ongoing with the final data time point in 2024. Baseline means for anxiety and depression were near levels for referral for further testing. The mean resilience score was below the 25th percentile. Forty seven percent of the sample reported a history of anxiety, 31% reported a history of depression, and 25% reported comorbid anxiety and depression. Self-care measures at baseline was positively correlated with resilience and negatively correlated with stress, anxiety and depressive symptomatology.
Conclusions: Strategies to increase resilience and enhance self-care utilization can be easily taught and reinforced within a nursing curriculum. Interventions, such as yoga, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation exercise, transformative thinking, and reflection are just a few that have been investigated with positive results (Pelit-Aksu et al., 2021; Rajamohan et al., 2023).
Notes
References:
Blackburn, L. M., Thompson, K., Frankenfield, R., Harding, A., & Lindsey, A. (2020, January). The THRIVE© Program: Building Oncology Nurse Resilience Through Self-Care Strategies. In Oncology nursing forum (Vol. 47, No. 1).
Guttormson, J. L., Calkins, K., McAndrew, N., Fitzgerald, J., Losurdo, H., & Loonsfoot, D. (2022). Critical care nurse burnout, moral distress, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A United States survey. Heart & Lung, 55, 127-133.
Horn, D. J., & Johnston, C. B. (2020). Burnout and self-care for palliative care practitioners. Medical Clinics, 104(3), 561-572.
Pelit-Aksu, S., Özkan-Şat, S., Yaman-Sözbi R, Ş., & Şentürk-Erenel, A. (2021). Effect of progressive muscle relaxation exercise on clinical stress and burnout in student nurse interns. Perspectives in psychiatric care, 57(3), 1095–1102. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12662
Pilkington, K., & Wieland, L. S. (2020). Self-care for anxiety and depression: a comparison of evidence from Cochrane reviews and practice to inform decision-making and priority-setting. BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 20, 1-15.
Rajamohan, S., Chalmers, K., Bennett, E., & Brzoza, S. S. (2023). Fostering Resilience in Nursing Through R.E.S.T. Journal of Christian nursing: a quarterly publication of Nurses Christian Fellowship, 40(1), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1097/CNJ.0000000000001016
Vargas-Benítez, M. Á., Izquierdo-Espín, F. J., Castro-Martínez, N., Gómez-Urquiza, J. L., Albendín-García, L., Velando-Soriano, A., & Cañadas-De la Fuente, G. A. (2023). Burnout syndrome and work engagement in nursing staff: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Medicine, 10.
Sigma Membership
Beta Mu
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cohort
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Pre-licensure Nursing Students, Self-care, Mental Health, Resiliency, Burnout
Recommended Citation
Nseir, Stacey C.; Parisek, Betty; and Kelly, Stephanie, "Use of Integrative Self-Care to Promote Resilience and Mental Health in Nursing Students" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 15.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/15
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
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
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-11
Use of Integrative Self-Care to Promote Resilience and Mental Health in Nursing Students
Washington, DC, USA
Background: Students enrolled in nursing programs have clinical, academic, and personal challenges which can lead to depression, anxiety, and burnout (Vargas-Benitez et al., 2023). Challenges are likewise present in nurses who practice in a variety of settings and nurses have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and burnout compared to the general population (Guttormson et al., 2022). Studies have shown that the practice of self-care decreases depressive and anxiety symptomatology (Pilkington et al., 2020) and burnout (Horn, 2020) and increases resilience (Blackburn et al., 2020).
Methods: This study is a three-year prospective repeated measures cohort trial for pre-licensure nursing students entering one of three tracks at a large university in the southwest United States in which integrative self-care is introduced in varying degrees depending on the track. One week prior to beginning a pre-licensure program, students were invited to participate in this study by participating in data collection at three time points throughout their four-semester program and after six months of clinical practice. Screening measures for stress, anxiety, and depression were administered in addition to measures of resilience and self-care. This study is measuring the effects of self-care embedded within the prelicensure programs.
Results: Students were recruited over three semesters. Sixty-nine students participated in the baseline measures. This study is ongoing with the final data time point in 2024. Baseline means for anxiety and depression were near levels for referral for further testing. The mean resilience score was below the 25th percentile. Forty seven percent of the sample reported a history of anxiety, 31% reported a history of depression, and 25% reported comorbid anxiety and depression. Self-care measures at baseline was positively correlated with resilience and negatively correlated with stress, anxiety and depressive symptomatology.
Conclusions: Strategies to increase resilience and enhance self-care utilization can be easily taught and reinforced within a nursing curriculum. Interventions, such as yoga, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation exercise, transformative thinking, and reflection are just a few that have been investigated with positive results (Pelit-Aksu et al., 2021; Rajamohan et al., 2023).
Description
This study addresses the impact of self-care on mental health and resilience of pre-licensure nursing students at a large university in the Southwest United States. Measures include stress, anxiety, depression, resilience and self-care.