Stress, extraversion, social support, and resilience in pre-nursing students: A correlational study.

BACKGROUND

To address the persistent nursing shortage, universities are increasingly focusing on nursing student retention. However, nursing students face numerous obstacles that hinder academic progress. In pre-nursing students who haven't started formal nursing education or clinical courses, a negative correlation exists between stress and persistence. Understanding the relationships between stress, extraversion, social support, and resilience will provide new insights into pre-nursing student well-being, success, and retention.

AIM/

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this research study is to describe the differences between and relationships among perceived stress, extraversion, social support, and resilience levels in two groups of pre-nursing students taking an Introduction to Nursing course: those opting for a traditional, on-campus (OC) modality, and those choosing an accelerated online (AO) modality.

DESIGN/

METHODS

This IRB-approved study used a survey-based cross-sectional design with convenience sampling. Pre-nursing students preparing to apply to the University of Texas at Arlington were invited to participate during the fall of 2024.

RESULTS

Participants (n = 319) were female (88.1 %), ethnically diverse (Hispanic 31.0 %, Black 22.6 %, Asian 22.3 %, White 21.3 %), first generation students (52.4 %), and a mean age of 23.3 years. Relationships among social support, stress, and resilience were statistically significant, and perceived support from friends was negatively associated with stress and positively associated with resilience.

CONCLUSION

The consistent findings between pre-nursing students and those in formal nursing programs suggest that aspects of well-being are present before entering nursing school, but research on how extraversion and social support influence pre-nursing student persistence and success is lacking. Focusing on psychosocial health and social support can help educators tailor early interventions for pre-nursing students to manage stress, increase resilience, and enhance social support, thereby promoting future nursing student success.