Abstract
Background: Research identifies considerable stress among students enrolled in nursing programs. Coloring is known to de-stress; therefore, students experience lowered anxiety and stress levels. The purpose of this study was to (1) explore the impacts of mindful coloring on reducing perceived stress of first-year baccalaureate nursing students and (2) explore the students' insights into effective self-care and stress management approaches formed during their first semester in the nursing program (N=29).
Methods: This study applied a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods, design. A convenience sample of undergraduate nursing students attending a four-year Midwest university was used. The mindful coloring intervention included participants engaging in a 3-hour didactic class on self-care and stress reducing strategies such as mindful coloring. Participants were provided supplies and asked to color inspirational mandalas for at least 10-15 minutes per week over the course of the semester. Participants completed a survey at Week 1, Week 9, and Week 15 answering open-ended questions regarding current perceived stress and perceived methods of stress management approaches, and one question in Week 15 on satisfaction with the mindfulness coloring in improving self-care awareness and reducing stress. The data management was supported by Google Forms and Google Docs. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis.
Results: Seventy-two percent of participants reported completing the mindful coloring for at least 10-15 minutes per week over the course of the semester with eighty-eight percent of those participants reporting satisfaction with the intervention in reducing stress. Four themes emerged related to methods of stress management; the themes were (1) exercise/movement, (2) creative outlets, (3) inner peace, and (4) social connections.
Conclusion: Mindful coloring is an effective stress-management technique, and nursing schools should support and promote its use as an affordable self-care intervention.
Notes
References: Bartlett, M. L., Taylor, H., & Nelson, J. D. (2016). Comparison of mental health characteristics and stress between baccalaureate nursing students and non-nursing students. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(2), 87-90.
Cheung, T., Wong, S. Y., Wong, K.Y., Law, L.Y., Ng, K., Tong, M.T., Wong, K. Y., Ng, M. Y., & Yip, P.S. (2016). Depression, anxiety and symptoms of stress among baccalaureate nursing students in Hong Kong: a cross-section study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(8), 779.
Huberty J., Green, J., Glissmann, C., Larkey, L., Puzia, M, & Lee, C. (2019). Efficacy of the mindfulness meditation mobile app “calm” to reduce stress among college students: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7(6), e14273.
Khater, W., Akhu-Zaheya, L., & Shaban, I. (2014). Sources of stress and coping behaviours in clinical practice among baccalaureate nursing students. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(6), 194-202.
Labrague, L. J., McEnroe-Petitte, D. M., Gloe, D., Thomas, L., Papathanasiou, I. V., & Tsaras, K. (2017). A literature review on stress and coping strategies in nursing students. Journal of Mental Health, 26(5), 471-480.
Leppink, E. W., Odlaug, B. L., Lust, K., Christenson, G., & Grant, J. E. (2016). The young and the stressed: Stress, impulse control, and health in college students. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 204(12), 931-938.
Mayo Clinic (2021). Mindfulness Exercises. Retrieved from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/mindfulness-exercises/art-20046356#:~:text=Mindfulness%20is%20a%20type%20of,mind%20and%20help%20reduce%20stress.
Pulido-Martos M, Augusto-Landa JM, Lopez-Zafra E. (2012). Sources of stress in nursing students: A systematic review of quantitative studies. International Nursing Review, 59, 15–25.
van der Riet, P., Levett-Jones, T., & Aquino-Russell, C. (2018). The effectiveness of mindfulness meditation for nurses and nursing students: An integrated literature review. Nurse Education Today, 65, 201–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.03.018
Yang, E., Schamber, E., Meyer, R. M., & Gold, J. I. (2018). Happier healers: randomized controlled trial of mobile mindfulness for stress management. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 24(5), 505-513.
Sigma Membership
Eta Rho
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quasi-Experimental Study, Other
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Stress and Coping, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Nursing Education, Advance in Education, Nursing Students, Baccalaureate Nursing Students
Recommended Citation
Pauli, Valerie, "Perceived Impacts of Self-Care Strategies to Reduce Stress in First-Year BSN Students" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 8.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/8
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, 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. 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
2025-11-18
Perceived Impacts of Self-Care Strategies to Reduce Stress in First-Year BSN Students
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Background: Research identifies considerable stress among students enrolled in nursing programs. Coloring is known to de-stress; therefore, students experience lowered anxiety and stress levels. The purpose of this study was to (1) explore the impacts of mindful coloring on reducing perceived stress of first-year baccalaureate nursing students and (2) explore the students' insights into effective self-care and stress management approaches formed during their first semester in the nursing program (N=29).
Methods: This study applied a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods, design. A convenience sample of undergraduate nursing students attending a four-year Midwest university was used. The mindful coloring intervention included participants engaging in a 3-hour didactic class on self-care and stress reducing strategies such as mindful coloring. Participants were provided supplies and asked to color inspirational mandalas for at least 10-15 minutes per week over the course of the semester. Participants completed a survey at Week 1, Week 9, and Week 15 answering open-ended questions regarding current perceived stress and perceived methods of stress management approaches, and one question in Week 15 on satisfaction with the mindfulness coloring in improving self-care awareness and reducing stress. The data management was supported by Google Forms and Google Docs. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis.
Results: Seventy-two percent of participants reported completing the mindful coloring for at least 10-15 minutes per week over the course of the semester with eighty-eight percent of those participants reporting satisfaction with the intervention in reducing stress. Four themes emerged related to methods of stress management; the themes were (1) exercise/movement, (2) creative outlets, (3) inner peace, and (4) social connections.
Conclusion: Mindful coloring is an effective stress-management technique, and nursing schools should support and promote its use as an affordable self-care intervention.
Description
In this session, the author will describe a self-care intervention used with first-year, first semester baccalaureate nursing students to reduce stress and anxiety. Participants of this session should be able to: (1) understand how students perceived mindful coloring as a self-care strategy to promote well-being and (2) gain insights into student perceptions of various effective self-care and stress management approaches.