Psychological distress in student nurses undertaking an educational programme with professional registration as a nurse: their perceived barriers and facilitators in seeking psychological support

Abstract

Introduction. The present study adds to the existing international evidence on psychological distress in the student population by focusing on student nurses. It quantitatively assesses psychological distress with comparative norms and investigates service uptake in in a single study. Aim. Investigate the level of psychological distress in students and compare this with population norms and highlight potential facilitators and barriers to help seeking. Methods. This study recruited N=121 student nurses from one university in a cross sectional design. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA’s. Findings. The key findings show high levels of psychological distress which is above levels seen in the general population. The main barriers to seeking support was fear of disclosure and the perceived impact on their suitability as a student nurse. Discussion. The study highlights that high levels of distress identified in the literature are seen in student nurses and that fear of disclosure may account for some not seeking support. Relevance. The fear of disclosure and low levels of seeking support suggest there is a need for mental health nurses and academics to play a key role in mental health literacy and evidence-based interventions such as mindfulness to combat these issues.