Emotional exhaustion in nursing students. A multicenter study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Emotional exhaustion is a significant concern among nursing students.
• Understanding factors contributing to this exhaustion is crucial for student support and retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the prevalence and associated factors of emotional exhaustion in nursing students across four universities.
• To identify specific academic and demographic variables linked to higher levels of emotional exhaustion.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, correlational study involving 1,368 nursing students in Chile and Spain (2017-2018).
• Data collected via self-administered questionnaires including sociodemographic, academic variables, and the Emotional Exhaustion scale.
• Statistical analyses included Chi2 tests, Mann Whitney U test, ANOVA, and multiple regression (p < 0.05).

Main Results:

• All students reported a mean level of emotional exhaustion.
• Significant differences in exhaustion were observed based on sex, having dependents, employment status, and commute time (>30 minutes).
• Higher emotional exhaustion was linked to repeating courses and high perceived stress from academic activities (p < 0.005).

Conclusions:

• Sex and having dependents are significant factors associated with emotional exhaustion in nursing students.
• Perceived stress related to specific teaching methodologies correlates significantly with emotional exhaustion levels.
• Interventions addressing perceived stress and supporting students with dependents may mitigate emotional exhaustion.