Predictors of Academic and Clinical Stress Among Nursing Students.

Introduction: Nursing students experience significant academic and clinical stress due to challenging coursework, assessments, and educational demands, as well as the pressures associated with gaining practical healthcare experience. These challenges can lead to anxiety, fear of making errors, and concerns about patient well-being, ultimately impacting students' mental health and their preparation for a nursing career.

Objective: assesses the predictors of academic and clinical stress among nursing students.

Method: A cross-sectional study design was used with a convenience sample of 113 nursing students. The study team conducted the study at the Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Nursing Department at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University. The researchers used three instruments for data collection and asked all nurse students to complete the online questionnaires, which utilized perceived clinical settings and academic stress.

Results: The mean age of the studied nursing students was 21.2 years old. The study observed students had moderate perceived stress levels furthermore, the total levels of the academic stress domain's mean and standard deviation in students were 90.5 ± 32. Also, a significant relationship between perceived stress and clinical setting hours per week in nursing students, and hospital clinical setting type in nursing students. There was a correlation between academic stress and the ages of students. Students' academic stress was statistically significantly correlated with their educational level.

Conclusion: Academic and clinical stress significantly impacts nursing students; the most common reasons that increase stress are fear of making mistakes and harming the patient.

Recommendation: Accordingly, the study advocates for developing educational strategies and a structured course curriculum before student nurses are sent to clinical areas to enhance their capabilities and reduce academic and clinical stress.