Quality of life among undergraduate nursing students in Palestine: A Heideggerian phenomenological study

Quality of life (QoL) influences nursing students' academic engagement, professional development, and overall well-being. In conflict-affected regions, like Palestine, sociopolitical instability further influences how QoL is lived and interpreted. Although growing attention to nursing students' well-being, little qualitative research has explored the lived meaning of QoL among Palestinian nursing students.

To explore undergraduate nursing students' lived experiences of QoL in Palestine, and to identify key factors shaping these experiences.

A qualitative study informed by Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenology.

Sixteen fourth-year nursing students at Arab American University- Palestine were purposively recruited. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted in Arabic between April and July 2025. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Analysis followed van Manen's six-step hermeneutic phenomenological method. Reflexivity and interpretive rigor were maintained throughout the study.

QoL life emerged as a dynamic, fragile, and relational experience rather than a fixed state. Three interrelated themes were interpreted: living under constant pressure, holding on through coping and support, and striving for balance and well-being through practical wisdom. Students described QoL as a continual negotiation across academic, clinical, financial, and sociopolitical demand. Coping was experienced as concernful engagement with meaningful goals, relationships, faith, and future orientation, while balance was maintained through practices such as time management, self-care and relational support.

For Palestinian nursing students, QoL was deeply shaped by sociopolitical instability and experienced as a meaning-based process influenced by pressure, care, and practical wisdom. Understanding QoL as a lived, contextual phenomenon can inform the development of more responsive and compassionate approaches to nursing education.

Nursing education should implement flexible academic policies during disruptions, strengthen relationships, and incorporate reflective practices that promote students' well-being and lived experiences in conflict-affected settings.