Comparison of the sources of stress among the senior Nursing and Midwifery Students of Tehran Medical Sciences Universities

Nursing and Midwifery students experience different and numerous sources of stress. Stress is a complex phenomenon that may be experienced by all. Nursing and midwifery students have multiple sources of stress due to their work environment. In order to reduce their stress and prevent the complications, all sources of stress should be recognized. This study was carried out to compare sources of stress between midwifery and nursing students of Tehran universities of medical sciences. Methods & Materials: This is a cross-sectional study. All senior midwifery and nursing students of Tehran and Shahid Beheshti Universities were invited to participate in the study (n=380). Data were collected using a questionnaire including demographic section (15 questions) and sources of stress of educational environment, clinical environment, and social-personal problems (54 items). Data were analyzed using SPSS and tested with chi-square test. 363 students participated in the study. Research findings showed that the followings are the most cited sources of stress among the students: ambiguous professional view, incompetent professional knowledge after graduation, caring for terminally ill patients, discordance between theory and clinical education, concerns about employment. Also results showed that there were significant differences between some sources of stress and the study programs. The nursing and midwifery students had numerous sources of stress in the educational, clinical, and social-personal domains of their life that can affect their physical and psychological health and cause learning problems. Using appropriate approaches to control and manage these sources of stress are recommended