Perceived academic-related sources of stress among graduate nursing students in a Jamaican University.

Background: Graduate education is essential for the improvement of professions by facilitating advancements in career paths, personal growth and enhancing a country's economy. Graduate students frequently view graduate education as moderate to very stressful and this can have a negative impact on their lives. Stress can result in impaired coping, poor academic performance and reduction in cognitive functioning, resulting in the antithesis of academic success.

Academic-related stress among graduate students in nursing in a Jamaican school of nursing.

Graduate students perceive their education as highly stressful, have consistently rated their stress levels as above average and have consistently scored above average on stress scales. The consequences of stress include negative academic outcomes, reduction in cognitive ability, impaired coping and incompletion of graduate studies. Stress is also associated with physical and psychological symptoms such as altered appetite, sleep pattern disturbances and headache.