STRESSORS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY STUDENT NURSES IN AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY NIGERIA

Stress reduces productivity and increase pressure that can influence student nurses learning and academic performance negatively. The stressors faced by student nurses are enormous and their impact is huge. It is important to enhance positive and adaptive behavior in student nurses as it might affect their coping method in practice. Aim: To examine the different stressors and stress management strategies adopted by student nurses of the Department of Nursing Science, at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria. Methodology: This study used a cross-sectional survey, using structured questionnaires. Using the census approach, the 314 undergraduate students of the department of nursing, at the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma were used. Results: Out of 314 of the respondents, 301 (95.9%) agreed that academic work was their main source of stress. When faced with stress, majority of the respondents (73.6%) reported to always become religious; they pray for guidance and strength. Some also reported that they always rest when they experience stressful situations (70.4%), 45.5% reported to always seek support from healthcare workers, friends, family and their lecturers, while 51.6% respondents claimed they occasionally go for recreational activities. Conclusion: There should be a continuous effort to counsel student nurses; create some diversional therapies and revision of the academic workload. These are essential in creating an enabling and motivating environment for learning and practice.