SDCA Student Research Journal

Abstract

Mental health issues have contributed to the rising number of cases and among them are college students. Nursing students are exposed to stressors in their learning environment and are at risk of developing symptoms of mental health illnesses. The dominant explanation for this problem is inability to adapt to their educational environment as well as failure to strategize effective coping mechanisms. Despite acquiring studies related to the stress and mental illnesses of nursing students, the researchers faced difficulties in conducting research on exploring the mental health preparedness among incoming nursing students. The overall goal is to develop a mental health preparedness tool based on these factors to determine when an incoming nursing student is mentally prepared to be exposed to possible stressors in their learning environment. Researchers identified the experiences of nursing students and determined their adaptability process in the college program through the questionnaire data from Google Forms. Moreover, the researchers used thematic analysis to categorize the data into themes. The results showed the exposure of nursing students to stressors and symptoms of mental health problems. However, these students found ways to adapt to their environment and cope with the stressors.

Keywords: Development; Validation; Mental health preparedness tool; Nursing students.