The influence of time management skills on stress and academic performance level among nursing students

Abstract

College students need to possess many skills to successfully pass each year of study. Effective time management skills are an essential characteristic for college students to have in order to maintain good academic performance. The students’ ability to manage their time properly is linked to many positive consequences, such as higher academic performance and lower stress levels. Despite the importance of time management skills for students, a limited number of studies were conducted to examine this issue among students in Saudi Arabia, especially nursing students. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the influence of time management skills on stress and academic performance levels of nursing students in Saudi Arabia. In this quantitative research, a cross-sectional design was used to explore the relationship between the level of time management skills and stress level of nursing students. A total of 150 students completed a survey (a response rate of 65%). The two scales included in this survey were the Student Nurse Stress Index and Time Management Questionnaire. Pearson’s correlation coefficient showed that there was a positive and significant correlation between the time management skills and academic performance of the students. That is, the increasing level of time management skills was associated with increasing academic performance (r = .240, p < .003), there was a positive and significant correlation between the time management skills and year of study (r = .262, p < .001), and there was a positive and significant correlation between the stress level and year of study (r = .249, p < .002). Therefore, time management and stress management training programs should be provided for nursing students during the orientation period.