Institutional strategies for fighting mental suffering among nursing undergraduates

Dear Editors,

The article published by this journal in July 2019, entitled “Health alterations in nursing students after a year from admission to the undergraduate course”⁽¹⁾, brings to the foreground a relevant and urgent theme. Recent publications have been approaching the issue of psychological suffering among undergraduate students in Brazil^(1-6) and worldwide^(7-10). A report⁽¹¹⁾ published in 2014 presented alarming data: 79.8% of students reported psychological suffering in the last 12 months prior to the research; 59,969 (6.38%) presented “death ideation” and 38,838 (4.13%) “suicidal thoughts”.

After the diagnostic period, the time has come for us to act. Worldwide, actions performed with undergraduate students, incorporated to the curriculum or not, have been presenting positive results, even though incipient⁽¹²⁾. These interventions comprise courses on health promotion^(13-15), meditation practices towards comprehensive care^(16-19), professional psychological support and the inclusion of physical activity and nutritional care⁽²⁰⁾.

Thus, through published researches, courses on health promotion are perceived to stimulate healthy lifestyles, reflecting in stress and anxiety levels^(21,22,23). Meditation has proven effective in reducing psychological suffering and in improving academic performance^(15,19,24). Psychological support to manage emotions has also proven efficacy^(14,24). Nonetheless all these studies are related to experiences in other countries.

Our experience in the Nursing School in Universidade Federal da Bahia after the implementation of the Psycho-pedagogical and Social Support Group (NAPP - Núcleo de Apoio Psicopedagógico e Social) has been showing encouraging results. Developed with the academic community participation, it includes an educator, two psychologists, and one social assistant, in addition to students and professors’ representatives. It promotes individual appointments and collective actions focused on well-being, integration, self-knowledge, study planning and it is positively evaluated by the students.

As we are certainly not the only institution to conduct such interventions, we propose the quick diffusion of other actions, thus promoting a broad discussion. Each higher education institution should adopt and disseminate as one of its objectives efficient and permanent evidence-based measures, aiming to impact the indicators which wreck undergraduate students nationwide.

References

• ¹
  Silva RM, Costa ALS, Mussi FC, Lopes VC, Batista KM, Santos OP. Health alterations in nursing students after a year from admission to the undergraduate course. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2019;53:e03450. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-220X2018008103450
  » https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-220X2018008103450
• ²
  Fagundes VLD, Lurdemir AB. Commonn mental disorders among health care students, Rev Bra de Psiquiatr. 2005;27(3):194-200. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-44462005000300007
  » https://doi.org/10.1590/S1516-44462005000300007
• ³
  Costa EFO, Rocha MMV, Santos ATRA, Melo EV. Common mental disorders and associated factors among final-year healthcare students. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2014;60(6):525-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.60.06.009
  » https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9282.60.06.009
• ⁴
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  » https://doi.org/10.1590/S0047-20852009000100005
• ⁵
  Amaral GA, Gomide PM, Batista MPB, Piccolo PP, Teles TBG, Oliveira PM, et al. Sintomas depressivos em acadêmicos de medicina da Universidade Federal de Goiás: um estudo de prevalência. Rev Psiquiatr Rio Gd Sul. 2008;30(2):124-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81082008000300008
  » https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81082008000300008
• ⁶
  Mussi FC, Pires CGS, Carneiro LS, Costa ANS, Ribeiro FMSS, Santos AF. Comparison of stress in freshman and senior nursing students. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2019;53:e03431. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-220X2017023503431
  » https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-220X2017023503431
• ⁷
  Mc Carthy B, Trace A, O'Donovan M, Brady-Nevin C, Murphy M, O'Shea M, et al. Nursing and midwifery students' stress and coping during their undergraduate education programmes: an integrative review. Nurse Educ Today. 2018; 61:197-209. DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2017.11.029
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• ⁸
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• ⁹
  Saïas T, du Roscoält E, Véron L, Guinard R, Richard JB, Legleye S, et al. Psychological distress in French college students: demographic, economic and social stressors. Results from the 2010 National Health Barometer. BMC Public Health). 2014;14:256. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-256
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• ¹⁰
  El Ansari W, Oskrochi R, Haghgoo G. Are students' symptoms and health complaints associated with perceived stress at university? Perspectives from the United Kingdom and Egypt. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(10):9981-10002. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph111009981
  » https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph111009981
• ¹¹
  Associação Nacional dos Dirigentes das Instituições Federais de Ensino Superior. IV Pesquisa do Perfil Socioeconômico e Cultural dos Estudantes de Graduação das Instituições Federais de Ensino Superior Brasileiras, 204 Internet . Uberlândia: ANDIFES; 2016 citado 2019 jul. 7 . Disponível em: http://www.andifes.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pesquisa-de-Perfil-dos-Graduanso-das-IFES_2014.pdf
  » http://www.andifes.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Pesquisa-de-Perfil-dos-Graduanso-das-IFES_2014.pdf
• ¹²
  Winzer R, Lindberg L, Guldbrandsson K, Sidorchuk A. Effects of mental health interventions for students in higher education are sustainable over time: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controled trials. Peer J. 2018;6:e4598. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4598
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• ¹³
  McCarthy B, Trace A, O'Donovan M, O'Regan P, Brady-Nevin C, O'Shea M, et al. Coping with stressful events: a pre-post-test of a psycho-educational intervention for undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. Nurse Educ Today. 2018;61:273-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2017.11.034
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• ¹⁴
  Pines EW, Rauschhuber ML, Cook JD, Norgan GH, Canchola L, Richardson C, et al. Evaluation of a stress coping course for psychological resilience among a group of university nursing students. Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2019;55(2):233-8. DOI: 10.1111/ppc.12340
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• ¹⁵
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• ¹⁶
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• ¹⁸
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• ²⁰
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• ²¹
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• ²²
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• ²³
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• ²⁴
  Hsiao Y, Chiang H, Lee H, Chen S. The effects of a spiritual learning program on improving spiritual health and clinical practice stress among nursing students. J Nurs Res. 2012;20(4):281-90. DOI: 10.1097/jnr.0b013e318273642f
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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  16 Sept 2020
• Date of issue
  2020

History

• Received
  23 Oct 2019
• Accepted
  23 Nov 2019