Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management Training for Nursing Students

Sammanfattning: The overall purpose of this thesis is to examine a stress management intervention developed for nursing students.The thesis comprises three studies (Study I-III) based on empirical data from a sample of nursing students. The specific aim in the first study (Paper I) was to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of the stress management intervention. The results in the first study suggested that the feasibility of conducting a full-scale evaluation was confirmed for recruitment, acceptability, data collection, and adherence to the intervention. However, difficulties relating to homework were also identified. In the second study (Paper II), the specific aim was to investigate the participants’ experiences of participating in the stress management intervention. Findings indicate that participants developed new adaptive coping strategies, which were attributed to the intervention. The participants expressed that they had increased their ability to reflect which led to increased insight and self-reflection. Findings emphasize the importance of both theoretical and structural aspects when planning a stress management training intervention. A group format delivery in combination with a multi-component cognitive behavioral intervention can be interrelated elements for positive stress-related changes. The third study (Paper III), aimed at investigating preliminary psychological effects regarding self-esteem, self-efficacy and stress management competence. In the third study, the results showed that perceived stress-management competency was improved and had withstanding effects one year later when compared with a control group. Self-esteem and self-efficacy, both psychological resources, increase over time after the intervention. In summary, this dissertation provides an insight into the challenges and the complexities of developing and implementing a stress management intervention in a nurse education context.