Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between stress levels and cognitive flexibility levels of nursing students.

Method: The population of the research, which was carried out in a descriptive and cross-sectional type, consisted of 1213 students who studied in a nursing faculty in Istanbul in 2017-2018 academic year. The sample was composed of 292 nursing students who were stratified by the known formula A total of 292 nursing students were included in the study. As a data collection tool; Personal Information Form, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS) were used. The data obtained; were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. The mean score of the students' Perceived Stress Scale was 27,53 ± 7,00 and the mean score of Cognitive Flexibility Scale was 39,43±2,83. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between Perceived Stress Scale and Cognitive Flexibility Scale scores (p <0,05). Perceived Stress Scale scores of women were found to be significantly higher than males (p <0,05).

Results: The mean age of the nursing students was 20,30 ± 1,54 years, 82,5% was female, 99,3% was single and 89,4% was not employed in any job.

Conclusion: According to these results, it is observed that the students' stress and cognitive flexibility levels are moderate. As students' perceived stress increases, their cognitive flexibility levels decrease. There are factors affecting the levels of stress and cognitive flexibility in nursing students. In both academic and social life, awareness should be raised on the level of cognitive flexibility in stressful situations, and health behaviors towards coping with stress should be gained.