Perceived Stress and Coping Strategies among Nursing Students at Ras Al Khaima Medical and Health Science University in the United Arab Emirates

Academic stress among college students has been a topic of interest for many years.College students especially freshmen, are particularly prone to stress due to the transitionalnature of college life. They may have difficulty in adjusting to more rigorous academicexpectations and the need to learn to deal with individuals of different cultural and beliefs.High perceived stress levels and lack of effective coping skills could be a barrier to achievethe challenges of the profession. Objective: assess perceived stress and coping strategiesamong nursing students at RAK Medical and Health Science University. Setting: The studywas conducted in Ras Al Khaima medical and health science universities in nursing college.Subjects: The study subjects comprised 100 undergraduate nursing students at RAKMHSU,United Arab Emirates. Tools: They were socio-demographic profile, Perceived Stress Scaleand Adolescent-Coping Orientation for Problem Experiences (ACOPE). Results: Themajority of nursing students (91%) had low to moderate level of stress (49% and 42%respectively) and only 9% had high stress. The students adopted active coping strategiesrather than avoidant and seeking professional support coping strategies. No significantdifference between PSS level and gender. Conclusion: Nursing students at RAKMHSU hadmoderate levels of perceived stress; a major source of stress was academic load. The resultsshow strong, negative correlations between perceived stress levels and coping strategies.Recommendations: Psych-educational program, faculty advising system and counselingservices are recommended.