Correlation study between mental health status and stress, coping style and perceived social support in students with foreign nursing specialty

Abstract

Objective To investigate the mental health status of students with foreign nursing specialty and analyze its relationship with stress, coping style and perceived social support. Method The cluster sampling was conducted between students with foreign nursing specialty. The Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90), and self-designed demographic questionnaires including demographic information questionnaire, College Students Stress Scale and Coping Style Questionnaire were employed. Results Students with foreign nursing specialty obtained significantly higher scores in all factors of SCL-90 when compared to the national youth norm, and obtained significantly higher scores in factors of somatization, obsession, anxiety, fear and psychotic diseases when compared to the norm of college students. The multifactor analysis of mental health status in students with foreign nursing specialty showed that soma-tization factors contained personal stress, seeking help, family supports and other supports; obsession factors contained personal stress, negative life events, academic stress and solving problem; interpersonal sensitivity factors contained personal stress, academic stress, solving problem, self-blame, fantasy and retreat; depres-sion factors contained personal stress, academic stress, solving problem, self-blame and other supports; anxiety factors contained personal stress, academic stress, fantasy, self-blame, family supports and other supports; hostility factors contained personal stress, seeking help, retreat, fantasy and other supports; fear factors contained personal stress, academic stress, seeking help, retreat and fantasy; crankiness factors con-tained personal stress, academic stress, solving problem, retreat, self-blame, family supports and friend sup-ports; factors of psychotic diseases contained personal stress, academic stress, solving problem, self-blame and friend supports; and factors of other symptoms contained personal stress, negative life events, academic stress, retreat, self-blame, family supports, friend supports and other supports. Conclusion The mental health status of students with foreign nursing specialty was inferior to the norms of national youths and col-lege students. It was negatively correlated with stress, active coping style, friend supports and other supports; while positively correlated with passive coping style (except escape) and family supports. Therefore, mental health education toward students with foreign nursing specialty should be strengthened in order to reduce their stress, improve their coping style, enhance their social supports, and finally promote their mental and physical development. Key words: Students with foreign nursing specialty; Mental health; Stress; Coping style; Perceived social support