Psychological Distress among Scholarship Awardee Nursing Students

Abstract

Introduction: Scholarship awardee students have greater demands on their studies than regular students. The demands of lectures are in the form of a period of completion of lectures and in the form of a good cumulative grade point average. This can provide pressure that can trigger psychological distress in these students which consists of aspects of depression, anxiety and stress. The impact of poor psychological distress will not only affect their learning, personal well-being and academic performance, but also potentially lead to other problems such as sleep disturbances, inability to manage stress, and a decrease in overall quality of life.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine depression, anxiety and stress among scholarship awardee nursing students.

Methods: The research design used a descriptive approach with a total sample of 43 respondents taken through purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21) questionnaire and data analysis was carried out using a descriptive statistical approach. Data collection was carried out in January 2024.

Results: Most of the scholarship awardee students did not have depressive symptoms (48,8%). However, most of them have very severe anxiety symptoms (72.1%). The health care provider including community and psychiatric nurses were suggested to provide health promotion related to preventing psychological distress especially among awardee nursing students. So, it would contribute to increasing academic achievement of nursing student.