A Study to Assess the Academic Stress, Anxiety and Coping Strategies among Freshers of B.Sc. Nursing students at PSG College of Nursing, Coimbatore

Stress and anxiety affect people of all ages, with novice college students being particularly vulnerable. Adolescence is marked by rapid biological changes, personal development, evolving social interactions, heightened social expectations, and peer influence. College life can be especially stressful for many students, manifesting in various negative effects such as a sudden drop in grades, depression, general fatigue, insomnia, mood swings, temper tantrums, and aggression. According to Morris (1990), college students often face academic stress as they compete with one another for better grades. Levine (1970) noted that stress is related to specific situations, such as the learning environment in college, and can result from the inability to perform tasks perfectly or failure to achieve desired goals. At this stage, rapid physical changes and mental development may sometimes lead to a mismatch between mental development and physical changes or social environment, causing problems due to inadequate adaptation. Objectives: To determine the degree of academic stress experienced by fresher of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Nursing students, to determine how anxious fresher of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Nursing students are, to evaluate coping mechanisms fresher of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Nursing students, employ, to associate degree of academic stress with demographic characteristics. Methodology: A non-experimental, descriptive design was employed for this study, conducted among first-year B.Sc. Nursing students at PSG College of Nursing, Coimbatore. A total of 89 first-year B.Sc. Nursing students were selected using purposive sampling. The Anxiety Inventory Scale was used to measure anxiety levels, the Academic Stress Scale assessed academic stress, and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire evaluated coping strategies. Results: The results indicated that 61 students (69%) experienced severe anxiety, while 28 students (31%) had moderate anxiety. Regarding academic stress, 55 students (62%) experienced a moderate level, and 34 students (38%) experienced a high level. In terms of coping strategies, 62 students (70%) were superior stress copers, while 27 students (30%) were average stress copers. The demographic characteristics such as age, gender, type of school syllabus, and parents' education were significantly associated with the level of stress at P < 0.05. Conclusion: The study revealed that the majority of students were experiencing severe anxiety and high levels of academic stress. It concludes that students need counseling and stress-relief sessions, such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness training, and time management workshops.