A Feasibility Study Of A Cognitive Behavioral Based Stress Management Intervention For Nursing Students: Results, Challenges, And Implications For Research And Practice

Abstract

Background: Stress related psychological problems are growing in nursing education and constitute an essential challenge for educators. This makes research about strategies and interventions to meet these problems important. Before implementing stress management interventions, they need to be tested for feasibility and acceptability before conducting large scale RCTs. The objective of our study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a newly developed cognitive behavioral stress management intervention for nursing students. Methods: Data were collected using a combination of standardized measurements and newly created questionnaires in combination with qualitative data. Our data included recruitment capability, sample characteristics, intervention acceptability and preliminary evaluation of participant psychological changes. Results: Findings 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. The intervention was found feasible and acceptable to nursing students and a potential intervention for the nurse education context. Conclusions: Overall, this study provides an insight into the challenges and complexities of developing and evaluating a new brief cognitive behavioral based stress management training intervention in a nurse education setting. Support in the organization and scheduling are important aspects of implementation. In order to deal with the challenge of stress-related problems in nursing education, the thresholds for participation in effective interventions need to be low.