Abstract
Nursing education has consistently been associated with stress, anxiety, and depression among students (Fauzi et al., 2020; Milić et al., 2019). Demanding course loads, rigorous examinations, and continued pressure to attain a high-grade point average result in greater stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among nursing students (Kim et al., 2021). Identifying key traits and manifestations of negative mental health wellness, as well as resilience-building strategies and supportive behaviors to assist students, are critical. Nursing faculty must have the knowledge to identify when symptoms are overwhelming, as well as provide necessary support, before students experience unhealthy symptoms and academic failure (Kells & Jennings Mathis, 2022; Savitsky et al., 2020).
The purpose of this study was to describe and understand nursing faculty perceptions of undergraduate nursing student negative mental health wellness in the academic environment and evaluate supportive behaviors and actions faculty provide to build resiliency skills and positively contribute to mental health wellness in nursing students. The research questions that guided the study explored nursing faculty perceptions of negative mental health wellness, as well as examined how faculty manage negative mental health wellness in undergraduate nursing students in the academic environment.
A qualitative descriptive design was used. A purposive sample of 15 nursing faculty with a minimum of 4 semesters of nursing faculty experience from 10 different generic, accredited, baccalaureate nursing programs in the Eastern United States participated in open-ended interviews using a semi-structured format. Colaizzi’s (1978) method guided data analysis. Aspects of rigor were addressed to establish trustworthiness.
The theme that emerged from the interview data with respect to the first research question was Struggling with the Teaching- Learning Process with sub-themes of experiencing insecurity in the academic environment, grappling with personal life factors, and enduring uncivil interactions. Promoting an Optimal Learning Environment with sub-themes being self-aware and supporting the student surfaced from the second research question data.
Study implications include providing faculty a clearer understanding of psychological distress in nursing students so they may better educate and evaluate students to promote positive educational outcomes and ensure a healthy future nurse workforce.
Notes
References: 1.Colaizzi, P. (1978). Psychological research as the phenomenologist views it. In R.S. Valle & M. King (Eds.), Existential phenomenological alternatives to psychology (pp. 48-71). New York, NY: Plenum.
2. Fauzi, M. F., Anuar, T. S., Teh, L. K., Lim, W. F., James, R. J., Ahmad, R., Mohamed, M., Abu Bakar, S. H., Mohd Yusof, F. Z., & Salleh, M. Z. (2021). Stress, anxiety and depression among a cohort of health sciences undergraduate students: The prevalence and risk factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6), 3269. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063269
3. Kells, M., & Jennings Mathis, K. (2022). Influence of COVID19 on the next generation of nurses in the United States. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 32(3-4), 359-367. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16202
4. Kim, S. C., Sloan, C., Montejano, A., & Quiban, C. (2021). Impacts of coping mechanisms on nursing students’ mental health during COVID-19 lockdown: A cross-sectional survey. Nursing Reports, 11(1), 36-44. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep11010004
5. Milić, J., Škrlec, I., Milić Vranješ, I., Podgornjak, M., & Heffer, M. (2019). High levels of depression and anxiety among Croatian medical and nursing students and the correlation between subjective happiness and personality traits. International Review of Psychiatry, 31(7-8), 653-660. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2019.1594647
6. Savitsky, B., Findling, Y., Ereli, A., & Hendel, T. (2020). Anxiety and coping strategies among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurse Education in Practice, 46, 102809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2020.102809
Sigma Membership
Eta Mu
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Faculty development, Stress/coping, Teaching/learning strategies
Recommended Citation
Stubin, Catherine A., "The State of Nursing Student Mental Health and Wellness Support as Perceived by Nursing Faculty" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 34.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/34
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
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.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
The State of Nursing Student Mental Health and Wellness Support as Perceived by Nursing Faculty
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Nursing education has consistently been associated with stress, anxiety, and depression among students (Fauzi et al., 2020; Milić et al., 2019). Demanding course loads, rigorous examinations, and continued pressure to attain a high-grade point average result in greater stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among nursing students (Kim et al., 2021). Identifying key traits and manifestations of negative mental health wellness, as well as resilience-building strategies and supportive behaviors to assist students, are critical. Nursing faculty must have the knowledge to identify when symptoms are overwhelming, as well as provide necessary support, before students experience unhealthy symptoms and academic failure (Kells & Jennings Mathis, 2022; Savitsky et al., 2020).
The purpose of this study was to describe and understand nursing faculty perceptions of undergraduate nursing student negative mental health wellness in the academic environment and evaluate supportive behaviors and actions faculty provide to build resiliency skills and positively contribute to mental health wellness in nursing students. The research questions that guided the study explored nursing faculty perceptions of negative mental health wellness, as well as examined how faculty manage negative mental health wellness in undergraduate nursing students in the academic environment.
A qualitative descriptive design was used. A purposive sample of 15 nursing faculty with a minimum of 4 semesters of nursing faculty experience from 10 different generic, accredited, baccalaureate nursing programs in the Eastern United States participated in open-ended interviews using a semi-structured format. Colaizzi’s (1978) method guided data analysis. Aspects of rigor were addressed to establish trustworthiness.
The theme that emerged from the interview data with respect to the first research question was Struggling with the Teaching- Learning Process with sub-themes of experiencing insecurity in the academic environment, grappling with personal life factors, and enduring uncivil interactions. Promoting an Optimal Learning Environment with sub-themes being self-aware and supporting the student surfaced from the second research question data.
Study implications include providing faculty a clearer understanding of psychological distress in nursing students so they may better educate and evaluate students to promote positive educational outcomes and ensure a healthy future nurse workforce.
Description
Negative mental health wellness in nursing students can lead to academic failure as well as physical and psychological problems extending into their professional practice. Identifying key traits and manifestations of negative mental health wellness, as well as resilience-building strategies and supportive behaviors to assist students, is critical to reduce psychological distress, promote learning and mental health wellness, and foster their effective transition to professional nursing practice.