Keywords
Perceived Stress
Coping Strategies
Student Nurses
Cross-Sectional Study
Nigeria.
Article Number
050Abstract
Background: Nursing students face significant academic demands and interpersonal challenges, including bullying within hierarchical educational environments. These stressors may negatively impact psychological well-being, academic performance, and professional development. However, limited empirical evidence exists on these issues among student nurses in Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria. Objective: This cross-sectional study examined bullying experiences, perceived stress, and coping strategies among 313 student nurses selected from three nursing training institutions in Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria. Methods: A structured questionnaire comprising the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and Brief COPE Inventory was administered. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and Chi-square tests. Results: Bullying was moderately experienced (mean=2.67±0.62), with fear of expressing opinion in class (2.92) and verbal insults (2.87) being most common. Perceived stress was high (mean=3.00±0.58), with 53.4% reporting high stress, primarily from academic workload (3.21) and clinical anxiety (3.18). Students predominantly used adaptive coping strategies (mean=3.11), with prayer (3.41) and social support (3.24) most frequent. Pearson correlation revealed a significant moderate positive relationship between bullying and perceived stress (r=0.524, p<0.001). The majority (86.6%) reported being bullied, with no significant association between year of study and bullying experiences (χ²=6.342, df=8, p=0.609). Conclusion: Bullying contributes significantly to perceived stress among student nurses. Nursing institutions should implement anti-bullying policies, stress management programmes, and culturally appropriate coping interventions.References
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Copyright (c) 2026 Onia Orinate Peters, Emmanuel Obioma Nkwocha, Ifeanyi Hermanguild Uzomanze (Author)