CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION AND PROBLEM STATEMENT

1.1: Introduction

Stress as defined by W.H.O 1948, is the response people may have when presented with demands and pressure that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope. Stress being a depressive disorder is an infirmity that rivets the body’s mood thoughts, feeling and behavior. It influences the way an individual think, feel, eat, sleep, act and react. Stress can be identified as a multi-dimensional phenomenon that is focused on a dynamic relationship between the individuals and the environment (Yazdani & Rezaei 2015). Stress can be a barrier for concentration, problem solving, decision making and other ability for students learning (Yazdani et al, 2015).

Also, the transition of students from school environment to university environment could cause a psychological, academic and social shock to them since this educational system has huge differences: the students will face new methods ofteaching, new academic requirements, new types of relations between students and faculties and even new relations amongst students themselves. Due to these changes students can potentially experience different types of stress that can affect achievement (Hussien and Hussien 2012), stress being one of the main aspect of our modern life has resulted from the rapid changes in human life, so students especially the married, pregnant and breastfeeding ones suffer from academic stress resulting from testing, homework, managing their homes and husbands which may exceed their abilities. Married women have their own stress resulting from child education, employees, leaders and all community have their own different stress as well. Sometime the same persons suffer from different types of stress at the same time (Hussien and Hussien, 2012).

Furthermore, the process of education is a very stressful experience (Papazisis et al, 2010). Nursing students encounter a great deal of academic personal and social stress during their academic activities. The stress level among health professionals is higher than that of other workers (Augusto Landa, 2012). Unplanned pregnancy is a threat to students psychological welbeing , and this can lead to mental health problem, including substance abuse .Being a mother to be can be a trigger psychological problem such as anxiety, stress, inability to make decisions, fear of the future and frustration; these challenges can have a negative impact on the students studies. There is even a tendency to believe that high level of stress is pre-ordained for nursing students. Such a thinking is not surprising considering the academic work load, heavy examinations, the uncertainty of carrier choice, as well as the feeling of incompetence’s that advanced nursing student’s experience sometimes in the clinical setting (Le Duc, 2015).

 Secondary education student’s ranked stress as their highest health impediment, followed with sleep issues, depression and anxiety of the 30.000 traditional students surveyed, 38.7% reported “Moderate” stress, and 8.7% of the students reported “tremendous” stress. Four stressful events identified were: Interpersonal relationship, feeling helpless and demeaning experience. All these past research has indicated that all nursing students are vulnerable and experience stress and extremes of too much stress may have a negative impact on a student’s health and general wellbeing. Under graduate nursing students stress is widely recognized, especially in the learning setting with frequent changes and challenges in the school, the clinical setting has the potential to become even more stressful due to the challenges in health care and technology. Many of these adult students have work and life experience in relationship to their nursing field. Often these same students must balance home, employment and educational responsibilities. With the increase or change in responsibilities, the students face greater risks of maladaptive coping strategies. The lack of self-care in students may progress to burn out, and subsequent health related issues.

1.2: Research Problem

The investigator in her first year of study as a nursing student observed how some of her female classmates who are married, pregnant and breastfeeding students went through a lot of difficult moments trying to cope with school work, marital activities and pregnancy at the same time. Observing how some classmates who were bread winners of their family struggle with both family and school, watching how pregnant classmates struggle to learn having duties to their unborn babies safely and their wellbeing as well. Due to this stressful experience some of these pregnant students end up losing their babies. Also some classmates had to repeat the class due to absences from school since they were trying to meet up with their marital duties and school at the same time. On promotion to year two not all the observed cases make it. In my second year I also got pregnant and was faced with a lot of difficulties but in school and at home, so that was when my worries began to grow and this initiated me to find out how married, pregnant and breastfeeding students manage stress in nursing school.

1.3:Research Questions

• How do married, pregnant and breastfeeding students manage stress in nursing Schools.

1.4: Research Objectives

1.4.1:General Objectives

• The aim of this study is to find out how married, pregnant and breastfeeding students manage stress in nursing schools and to propose solutions based on the results of the study.

1.4.2:Specific Objectives

• To explore the most common sources of stress faced by married, pregnant and breastfeeding students in nursing school.
• To find out how these married, pregnant and breastfeeding students manage stress both in school and at home.
• To find out how these married, pregnant and breastfeeding students manage financial stress both in school and at home