Nursing is a demanding profession which involves stress that can build the students’ knowledge and performance when it remains at tolerable levels; but when it intensifies, it makes a student prone to mistakes, lose confidence in the ability to perform assigned tasks, and potentially fail. The objective of the study was to determine the perceived level of stress, stressors and the stress management strategies of nursing students in the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State.  A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted and 130 nursing students participated. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The data was analysed using frequency, percentage table, chi-square and ANOVA. The study revealed that 82.3% and 13% of the students were moderately and highly stressed respectively. Stressors among the students were academic and psychosocial; while the most common stress management strategies were problem solving, followed by avoidance. The study also revealed that there was no significant association between the students’ level of study and the perceived stress level or the stress management strategy used. Whether moderately or highly stressed, nursing students perceived themselves as having a level of stress; hence, the need to improve the counselling services in the University to equip students in ways to cope effectively with stress.

Keywords: Stress, stressors, stress management strategies, coping strategies, nursing students,

Cite this article: