Stress and Stressors among Nursing Students

Nursing have the value of being profoundly involved in and supporting human life. Nursing is care and it involves close contact with the reception of care. Nurses are not only the care givers but are proved to be a great source of support to patients when they are at their most vulnerable. No doubt, they get pay for their job, yet the care and concern they exhibit for patients is unparalleled and remarkable, and that’s why they are considered by the patients as angels. It’s true that nurses are caring and supporting, however, behind this care and support there are a lot of failures in the form of stress and stressors, which are faced by nurses through out there academic as well as professional life. Students of any background and institution are exposed to different types of stressors including academics, financial problems, high parental expectations, time management etc. However, nursing field is inherently stressful and demanding. Minimum attention has been paid in Pakistan to this alarming issue and it must be highlighted. The reason for choosing this this topic is an effort to grasp attention of people and to create awareness toward this serious issue. In today’s world everyone is familiar with stress. Every day we experience stress in varying forms and degrees. According to Selye (1979), stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it. The demand can be a threat, a challenge or any kind of change which requires the body to adapt. The response is automatic and immediate. Stress can be good “eustress” when it helps us perform better, or it can be bad “distress” when it causes upset or makes us sick. According to Tafreshi and Hagani (2007), stress has been identified as a 20th century disease and has been viewed as a complex and dynamic transaction between individuals and there environments.