Predictors of War-Related Stress and Resilience among Palestinian Nursing Students Experiencing Chronic War Exposure

Nursing students who are currently enrolled in colleges and live in conflict-torn regions have faced unique and sustained experiences of psychological distress related to both the demands of their studies and their long history of living under constant war-related pressure. Palestinian nursing students face challenges to their resilience from long-term armed conflict, continuous military escalations, ongoing states of military occupation and warfare, ongoing trauma, and continuing uncertainty.

This study aimed to identify predictors of war-related stress and resilience among Palestinian nursing students who were exposed to war on a long-term basis.

This study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design to collect data from 650 nursing students attending Al-Quds University from March to May 2025. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and academic characteristics, to assess the level of war-related stress and levels of resilience. The war-related stress scale and the resilience inventory were used to assess war-related stress and the level of resilience among students. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze predictions of war-related stress and resilience.

The mean score for war-related stress was 3.30 ± 1.36. Almost half of students reported moderate to high levels of stress. The mean resilience score was 4.33 ± 2.98, and the majority possessed normal levels of resilience. The relationship between older age, enrollment in upgrading courses, greater academic success, and low-income stress from war is significant. Students who are married also reported significantly less stress than unmarried students. Female students and students with low and high incomes are less resilient than other students; first-year nursing students are less resilient than fourth-year nursing students. The regression analyses accounted for 11.9% of the variance in war-related stress and 6.9% of the variance in resilience.

Palestinian nursing students experience high levels of psychological stress from the continuous long-term conflict in which they live, and resilience is influenced by sociodemographic and academic characteristics. Therefore, there is an urgent need for gender-sensitive, academic, focused resilience building and mental health supports in nursing education programs for students affected by the conflict.