Relationship between resilience, social support and psychological well-being in nursing students

Afshan Mehwish Naz; Shaier Khan; Samina Manzoor; Khubaid Ur Rehman; Zeenaf Aslam; Nazi Noor

doi:10.1177/17449871241278854

Relationship between resilience, social support and psychological well-being in nursing students

J Res Nurs. 2024 Nov 20:17449871241278854. doi: 10.1177/17449871241278854. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Afshan Mehwish Naz¹, Shaier Khan², Samina Manzoor³, Khubaid Ur Rehman⁴, Zeenaf Aslam⁵, Nazi Noor⁶

Affiliations

¹ MS Scholar, Institute of Nursing, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Pakistan.
² PhD Scholar and Principal, College of Nursing, Bacha Khan Medical College Mardan, Pakistan.
³ Professor and Head of Department, Institute of Nursing, University of Health Sciences Lahore, Pakistan.
⁴ MS Scholar, Biosciences Department, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan.
⁵ PhD Scholar, Department of Nursing, Khyber Medical University Peshawar, Pakistan.
⁶ MS Scholar, College of Nursing, Jinnah Hospital Lahore, Pakistan.

Abstract

Background: Nursing students face significant academic stress, often surpassing that of other disciplines, due to exposure to diverse clinical settings and challenging patient conditions. This stress can lead to psychological issues like anxiety and depression, impacting their well-being.

Aim and methods: This study aimed to assess resilience and social support levels among 160 Generic BS Nursing students in five Public and Private nursing education institutions of Lahore, Pakistan and explore their relationship with psychological well-being by using a cross-sectional correlational study. A p-value of 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Results showed 47.5% of participants were aged 17-21, and 52.55% were older than 22. Most (88.8%) were female. Resilience scores were low-to-moderate (mean: 66.50 ± 14.7), psychological well-being was moderate (mean: 56.35 ± 18.98) and social support was low (mean: 5.07 ± 1.21). Notably, no significant differences were found between third and fourth-year students.

Conclusion: This study highlighted the positive relationship between resilience, social support and psychological well-being among nursing students. Resilience plays a vital role in mitigating stress's adverse effects, and strong support from family and friends contributes to positive psychological health.

Keywords: Nursing Students; psychological well-being/mental health/psychological adjustment; resilience/adaptation; social support/social environment; stress and coping.