Well-being and self-efficacy in a sample of undergraduate nurse students: A small survey study

This paper reports findings from a survey which aimed to explore well-being and self-efficacy and test measures of those constructs with a sample of nurse students in a University setting in the United Kingdom. Evidence indicates that undergraduate nurse programmes combine academic work and clinical placement experience in a mix that can potentially lead to stress and impact on health and well-being. Self-efficacy is known to be a resource that contributes to well-being, resilience and academic achievement and therefore relevant for investigation. A cross-sectional survey approach was used to obtain data using a paper questionnaire including the BBC Well-being Scale and Generalised Self-efficacy Scale. A total of n=108 undergraduate preregistration nurse students participated in this small study from a potential population of 450. The majority of participants (86%) were female, and the majority (75%) were aged 17-35years old. Mean and subscale scores were calculated for both instruments and inferential analyses were carried out using non-parametric techniques. Exploratory factor analyses of the BBC Well-being Scale indicated a three factor structure consistent with validation study findings. Cronbach's alpha was α=.92 for the BBC Well-being Scale and α=.85 for the GSE suggesting that the instruments are valid and reliable measures for nurse education research. Nurse students indicated higher scores on the BBC Well-being Scale and the GSE compared with previously studied populations and a small but significant positive correlation was found between psychological well-being and self-efficacy. Cluster analysis indicated discrete student communities in this sample that varied in their Well-being and GSE scale and subscale scores. Self-efficacy and general well-being in nurse students are worthy of further study and relevant to contemporary nurse education given current interest in interventions to promote student retention and resilience post-registration.