A complementary therapy approach to the management of individual stress among student nurses

This paper examines the difference between qualitative and quantitative research approaches and applies the debate to assessing student nurses' stress coping styles. In particular, it looks at the value of the qualitative approach as a means of appreciating the individual nature of the stress experience. A pilot study was conducted among a small group of Project 2000 students. The results illustrate that a flexible model which appreciates the differences in individual perception is a successful way of enabling students to handle negative stress. The paper also reports on a new concept called Determination and the Hypnotic Interaction model which enables student nurses to utilize determined experiences from previous times and apply them to present and future negative stress. The model utilizes a wide range of complementary therapy approaches including relaxation, imagery and hypnosis, to enable students to appreciate positive stress and to discover and use their natural resources of determination to deal with negative stress.