THE IMPACT OF A NURSING PROGRAM ON STRESS, PHYSICAL ILLNESS, ANXIETY, AND SELF-CONCEPT OF PARTICIPANTS IN A COMMUNITY COLLEGE NURSING PROGRAM.
Contributors: University of North Texas.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 69
Subjects: Education, Guidance and Counseling.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: This research study was designed to investigate the relationship between participation in a nursing education program and the factors of stress, physical illness, anxiety, and self-concept experienced by the participants. Also, the study examined the relationship between age of participants and these same factors. The purposes of this study were (1) to determine if beginning and ending nursing students differ in stress, physical illness, anxiety, and self-concept, (2) to examine the relationship between age of nursing students and stress, physical illness, anxiety, and self-concept, (3) to provide information that may help develop a theoretical base concerning stressful life events and illness in nursing students, and (4) to provide information that may be beneficial with regard to future research involving stress, physical illness, anxiety, self-concept, and age in nursing students.

A total of 200 subjects, from the community college system of a southwestern town, comprised the sample of convenience. The following instruments were administered: the Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire (SRRQ), the Seriousness of Illness Rating Scale (SIRS), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TENN). The data were treated using a one-way analysis of variance.

Of the eight hypotheses investigated, significant results were obtained for three hypotheses. Beginning nursing students achieved a significantly higher mean score on life stress (SRRQ) and a significantly lower mean score on physical illness (SIRS) than did ending nursing students. Also, younger nursing students achieved a significantly higher mean score on life stress (SRRQ) than did older nursing students.

The results of this study support the role of external mediating variables in the stress-illness process of nursing students. Cognitive mediating variables such as trait anxiety and self-concept did not add significantly to stress as a predictor of nursing students' illness.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-03, Section: A, page: 0563.

Thesis (ED.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, 1987.

School code: 0158.