Do Nursing Students Coping Methods Affect Test Anxiety?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Test anxiety has negative effects on students' academic success. Especially in university education, the level of anxiety can increase with the increase of social and individual expectations. The students find a way to cope with anxiety and apply this method to deal with many other worrying issues throughout their life. The aim of this study is; determining the anxiety levels of nursing students before the practice of Women Health and Diseases Nursing Practice course and how they cope with the test anxiety. METHODS: This descriptive study was carried out with 139 students in the 2017-2018 academic year in nursing students who took Women's Health and Diseases Nursing Practice course. Student information form, State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI Form TX I-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS) measurement tools were used. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of STAI Form TX I-II, BAI and SUDS scales and gender, age, family place and parental association. 44.6% of students use a method to cope with test anxiety. The mean STAI Form TX I-II and SUDS scores of the students who used any coping method were lower than those who did not. The most common method was breathing exercise (14.4%). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between STAI Form TX I-II furthermore STAI Form TX I and SUDS. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: As a result, it was determined that the anxiety levels of the students without any coping methods were higher than the others.

Keywords

• test anxiety
• coping
• nursing
• student