Towards a Transactional Understanding of Stress and Coping Among Nursing Students: A qualitative interview study
- 1The University of Waikato
Abstract
IntroductionNursing students experience stress arising from demanding academic requirements and emotionally challenging clinical placements, which may affect wellbeing, learning, and programme retention. This study explored nursing students and educators perceptions of stress, its impacts, and coping experiences within undergraduate nursing education in New Zealand.
MethodsA qualitative descriptive study was conducted with six undergraduate nursing students and six nurse educators at a New Zealand university. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis, with interpretation informed by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping.
ResultsThree themes were identified: stress from multiple sources, stress shaping wellbeing and learning, and navigating stress through appraisal and coping. Stress arose from academic, clinical, personal, and social demands and affected students academic engagement, health, and relationships. Participants described varied responses to stress, including different appraisals of challenging situations and coping strategies such as peer support, self-care, and use of institutional resources.
ConclusionStress in nursing education reflects a dynamic interaction between individual appraisal, coping resources, and educational and interpersonal contexts. Although findings are limited to one institution, they highlight the importance of accessible, flexible, and culturally responsive support and of addressing modifiable educational stressors alongside strengthening students coping resources.
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BibTeX
@misc{yan2026towards,
title = {{Towards a Transactional Understanding of Stress and Coping Among Nursing Students: A qualitative interview study}},
author = {H. Yan and A. J. O'Brien and V. Shaw and K. Vakavosaki},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.01.26363847},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.01.26363847v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Towards a Transactional Understanding of Stress and Coping Among Nursing Students: A qualitative interview study
AU - H. Yan
AU - A. J. O'Brien
AU - V. Shaw
AU - K. Vakavosaki
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.01.26363847
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.01.26363847v1
AB - IntroductionNursing students experience stress arising from demanding academic requirements and emotionally challenging clinical placements, which may affect wellbeing, learning, and programme retention. This study explored nursing students and educators perceptions of stress, its impacts, and coping experiences within undergraduate nursing education in New Zealand. MethodsA qualitative descriptive study was conducted with six undergraduate nursing students and six nurse educators at a New Zealand university. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis, with interpretation informed by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. ResultsThree themes were identified: stress from multiple sources, stress shaping wellbeing and learning, and navigating stress through appraisal and coping. Stress arose from academic, clinical, personal, and social demands and affected students academic engagement, health, and relationships. Participants described varied responses to stress, including different appraisals of challenging situations and coping strategies such as peer support, self-care, and use of institutional resources. ConclusionStress in nursing education reflects a dynamic interaction between individual appraisal, coping resources, and educational and interpersonal contexts. Although findings are limited to one institution, they highlight the importance of accessible, flexible, and culturally responsive support and of addressing modifiable educational stressors alongside strengthening students coping resources.
ER -