Mental health issues have become prevalent, especially among college students. Nursing students are subjected to psychological morbidity or stress that tends to progress even as they continue their training (Chouhan et al., 2021). The issues they encounter are not only based on individual life instead extend to difficulties in learning. As a result, they are predisposed to anxiety, stress, and depression. However, despite the prevalence, especially in recent years, minimal research has been conducted to present the picture of the situation and offer appropriate recommendations for solutions. As a result, stakeholders in the health and education sectors have remained with limited information on the strategies to reduce mental problems among undergraduate nursing students. There is a significant need to investigate these issues and provide stakeholders with suggestions to address the problem to produce qualified nurses who give the best services. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of psychometric analysis of the depression, stress, and anxiety among undergraduate nursing students in the nursing field in regard to good service to others, the society, and the church as envisaged in the Franciscan fourth value.
The field of nursing is one of the most critical sectors considering the critical role that qualified and skillful nurses play to restore or maintain the health of people. However, nurses have to undergo enough training to reach the qualification level and gain enough skills. Therefore, the study of this topic is significant in the nursing field such that it gives a better understanding of the aspect of psychological well-being among nursing students (Chouhan et al., 2021). Once these issues are identified, the nursing management body focus on planning for effective interventions and policies. The proposed policies tend to limit the issues related to psychology to help nursing students focus on training to gain knowledge and skills required in the field after graduation.
The findings of the study topic reveal the high mental health issues, and they co-occur multiple times in different forms. Thus, mental health policymakers and hospital management get information on the best approach to limit the problem in the field (Tran et al., 2019). The deliberation leads to developing workplace mental health policies, promotion programs for nurses, and supporting them effectively to limit their chances of having mental problems. In the field, qualified nurses would serve the wider society, including the patients who are members of the church and the community where they live (Chernomas & Shapiro, 2013). The new developments facilitate healthcare quality to improve, and patients and staff working in high-pressure environments develop a sense of safety.
The results of the study topic serve a significant purpose whereby senior nurses or their leadership identifies the mental problem and finds the solution. As nurses leaders and other stakeholders familiarize themselves with the topic, they are better positioned to early recognize stress and other related problem at the initial stage. At this point, the management is in a better position to initiate programs that help manage stress. Besides management, counseling activities are expended for nursing students and those who experience the same problem while working (Tran et al., 2019). Thus, the nurses’ leadership is better positioned to prioritize the resources necessary to address mental health issues among nurses. The swift response ensures that qualified nurses continue being available to provide the required services to others, society, and the church (Samson, 2018). When detected early enough, depression, stress, and anxiety are managed, especially among nursing students, who then allow productivity, quality of life improvement, and suicide prevention.
The nursing field is considered most involved and requires that nurses have everything at their disposal to handle all types of complications. The study topic on how mental health affects nursing students is significant such that nurses understand well the professionals whom they help. By understanding these professionals better, nurses get equipped in the appropriate way to serve others and the society upon graduation as envisaged in the Franciscan fourth value (Chernomas & Shapiro, 2013). At the same time, since the topic reveals some of the contributors of the mental health issues among nurses, such as lifestyle factors of students, it is significant for nurses operating in the field to adjust their lifestyles. Over the years, the question of work/study-life balance has arisen in the nursing field. Through this topic, nurses tend to learn what is expected of them to limit the stresses, anxiety, and depression that come with an imbalance life in school and at work.
The findings in the investigations on the topic give rise to new concepts in the nursing field. Significantly, the report on stress and depression among nursing students is communicated to the nursing faculty and administrative staff (Fauzi et al., 2021). The feedback report is vital in detecting and managing stress, anxiety, and depression to help improve service. The most significant part of the topic is based on the revelation of the role played by the college, friends, family, and society towards the psychological well-being of nurses when at school or after graduation (Tran et al., 2019). Clinical instructors, administrators, and nursing faculty use the information to enhance nurses’ training and working conditions. The revelation of nurses’ weaknesses while training influences positive social change adoption to support services that include counseling and screening programs. The program effectively identifies mental issues in nurses and takes initial management strategy if a problem is detected.
Nurse educators are also the critical group in the nursing field, and any topic focusing on the mental issues of nurses has an interest to them. Since nurse educators serve as the key informers of the rest of the stakeholders in the field, they play a significant role in ensuring students become aware of what is expected of them (Chouhan et al., 2021). Thus, the topic facilitates the opportunity for educators to plan ahead on what to focus on and professional development. The nursing field members are always in charge of the evaluation, and the topic is significant in the effective development of the educational program and adoption of evaluation approaches. By focusing on areas to improve on the mental response of the nurses both at the college level and at the workplace, it is evident that nurses play a crucial role in service to others, the church, and society at large.
Specifically, the topic analyzing the psychological issues of nursing students is related to Franciscan values, especially the fourth value on service to one another, the society, and the church. Nurses have a special role to play regarding the restoration of the health of people and making the sick feel better (Fauzi et al., 2021). In their duties, they offer service to different groups, including their peers, young and older people, male and female, and the rich and the poor. Therefore, it remains the obligation of nurses that they offer the best services to their clients. Nursing students, while in their training, they are sometimes subjected to clinical settings where they are required to serve patients by taking care of them (Chernomas & Shapiro, 2013). Therefore, nursing starts to serve others, society, and the church at an earlier stay even when in their college or still undergraduate. The University of Saint Francis’s (USF) value is that its students learn how to give the best service to the world where they live, including their peers and society as a whole.
Psychological issues that affect nursing students while in training and those employed in the field impact the type and level of service they give. For instance, when depressed, nurses may lack interest in what they do, be dissatisfied with the work they perform daily basis, or even lose focus (Chouhan et al., 2021). Anxiety and stress in nurses in training and at work create worry and pressure while working. All the changes impact how they give their services to their peers or the society they come from and live. It may need the intervention of the leadership or management to address some of the mental issues which affect service as the USF values it. Thus, the topic is related to the fourth Franciscan value. The elimination of the identified mental issues brings nurses and learners back to the path of service as expected by the university for those who deal with human life.
In conclusion, the topic of investigating the psychological issues, including depression, anxiety, and stress among undergraduate nursing students, is significant and allows appropriate service delivery. Since the problem of mental health is considerable, especially in recent years, this topic is significant in the nursing field because it gives a better understanding of the aspect of psychological well-being among nursing students. The identification of mental problems among nursing students allows the nursing management body to focus on planning for effective interventions and policies. The proposed policies help nursing students focus on training to gain knowledge and skills required in the field after graduation. Nurse leadership and senior nurses are in a better position to early recognize stress and other related problem at the initial stage and initiate programs that help manage stress. It also facilitates the equipping of the nurses in the appropriate way to serve others and the society upon graduation as envisaged in the Franciscan fourth value serving others, society, and the church.
References
Chernomas, W. M., & Shapiro, C. (2013). Stress, depression, and anxiety among undergraduate nursing students. International journal of nursing education scholarship, 10(1), 255-266.
Chouhan, S., Gupta, A., Singh, R., & Alvi, A. B. (2021). Psychometric Analysis of Undergraduate Nursing Students using Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale: A Cross-sectional Study. Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research, 15(3).
Fauzi, M. F., Anuar, T. S., Teh, L. K., Lim, W. F., James, R. J., Ahmad, R., … & Salleh, M. Z. (2021). Stress, anxiety, and depression among a cohort of health sciences undergraduate students: the prevalence and risk factors. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(6), 3269.
Samson, P. (2018). Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Role of Campus Connectedness, Social Support, and Coping among Nepalese Nursing Students (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).
Tran, T. T. T., Nguyen, N. B., Luong, M. A., Bui, T. H. A., Phan, T. D., Ngo, T. H., … & Nguyen, T. Q. (2019). Stress, anxiety and depression in clinical nurses in Vietnam: a cross-sectional survey and cluster analysis. International journal of mental health systems, 13(1), 1-11.
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