Stress and exhaustion among nursing students during their final year: A cross-sectional study

Background and objective: Nursing students face challenges in nursing education. Prior research has identified depression and fatigue as prevalent issues among nursing students, attributing these concerns to inadequate support from faculty and disorganised coursework, which contribute significantly to student exhaustion. Consequently, this study aimed to explore the relationship between stress and educational fatigue among final-semester nursing students to provide evidence that can help prevent stress and its negative health impacts, ultimately enhancing the well-being of nursing students. Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated 56 final-semester nursing students using self-administered questionnaires: the Karolinska Exhaustion Disorder Scale (KEDS) and the Higher Education Stress Inventory (HSEI). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis using Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: The study found that final-semester nursing students experienced high stress (Mean 21.84, SD = 7.065) due to workload (Mean 8.00, SD = 1.68), insufficient feedback (Mean 5.16, SD = 1.35), and faculty shortcomings (Mean 16.04, SD = 2.90). Significant positive correlations were noted between concentration and insufficient feedback (r = .29, p = .30) and low commitment (r = .27, p = .39). Physical stamina correlated significantly with workload (r = .41, p = .001) and low commitment (r = .36, p = .007). Memory and sleep showed no association with education-related stress. Conclusions: The study found that final-semester nursing students reported workload and insufficient feedback as the factors related to education-related stress. There was no link between education-related stress and variables such as memory and sleep. These findings highlight the need to address a supportive learning environment and facilitate overall student health.