Date of Award
August 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Julia A Snethen
Committee Members
Kim Litwack, Roger O Smith, Vipavee Thongpriwan
Keywords
faculty, mental health, nurse educators, nursing education, nursing instructors, nursing students
Abstract
Background: Published research on nurse educators’ perceptions and experiences of students with mental health issues remains limited. Over half of nursing students (51%) experience mental health symptoms (Mulyadi et al., 2021) and most (92%) experience stress (Vo et al., 2023). The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine nurse educators’ perceptions of students with mental health symptoms.Methods: Thirty-one nurse educators teaching in undergraduate, pre-licensure colleges of nursing in the United States were interviewed via Zoom using a semi-structured interview guide. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Results: Seven themes emerged from the data. Nearly all participants (97%) conveyed that the high stress of nursing education negatively impacts all nursing students, leading to the first theme, “They’re under tremendous stress”. Six themes were found that directly answered the initial research questions. “You Don’t Always Know” which students are experiencing mental health symptoms; “Students need to feel safe” for best learning; “Have the antennae up” to monitor mental health; “Let’s talk about this,” reaching out; “It’s tough” when participants were uncertain or lacked resources; and “It’s up to them” to be successful. Discussion: Nurse educators in this study emphasized their awareness of stress and the impact it has on all their students. Due to the frequency and invisibility of many mental health conditions, many participants reported adopting instructional practices designed to benefit all nursing students. Academic preparation for future nurse educators must include content on working with student mental health issues and working effectively with the post-COVID nursing student from Generation Z. Colleges of nursing should promote a healthy balance between academic demands and the well-being of their students, and actively work to help students build resilience.
Recommended Citation
Kreuziger, Suzanne B., "NURSE EDUCATORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS WITH MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 3591.
https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/3591