Stress factor

Developed by 13 items for stress from practicuums were adapted and used.

Ÿ Issues related to the practicum facility

Ÿ Issues related to the nursing course

Ÿ Issues related to the practicum record and self-learning

Ÿ Issues related to practicum times

Ÿ Issues related to the duration of the practicum, expenses for travel and accommodation

Free descriptions in a self-administered questionnaire on stress were categorized into the following:

Ÿ “Inexperience, anxiety, and nervousness associated with reporting”; “frustration, anxiety, and nervousness accompanying a lack of practical nursing skills”; “difficulties in adjusting time for nursing support and observation”; “hesitation and a sense of isolation in male students when providing nursing support”; “a sense of bewilderment due to the gap in approaches to instructions between teachers and clinical instructors.”

Sense of coherence

Measurement was performed based on total scores for 13 SOC items.

Ÿ Total SOC scores were 54.6 ± 9.5.

Ÿ No changes in SOC were observed between before the practicum and weeks 1, 2, or 3 of the practicum.

Stress-coping behavior

Twelve items adapted from a stress and coping scale as well as free descriptions.

Ÿ There was a moderate negative correlation for the “problem-focused” type. Participants with a higher level of stress could not practice problem-focused-type coping.

Measurement was performed using the Coping Strategy Scale

Ÿ For a practicum in ward settings, the number of “problem-focused” participants was higher than that of “emotion-centered” ones.

Ÿ “Problem-focused” participants engaged in stress-coping behaviors such as “preparing for the practicum by learning necessary knowledge beforehand.”