RESILIENCE, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG NURSING STUDENTS AT SUKKUR: A CROSS-SECTIONAL CORRELATIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Resilience, perceived stress, and life satisfaction are central psychological constructs that shape how nursing students negotiate the demands of clinical and academic training. While self-efficacy has received considerable research attention among nursing students in Pakistan, comparatively little empirical work has examined resilience as a distinct protective resource within this population, despite its theoretical importance in adaptation to the acute and chronic stressors of nursing education. The present study examined the predictive relationship of resilience and perceived stress with life satisfaction among 250 nursing students drawn from nursing colleges in Sukkur, Pakistan. Participants completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), alongside a demographic information form. Data were analysed using SPSS (version 26) through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, simple linear regression, and independent-samples t-tests. Results indicated that resilience was a significant positive predictor of life satisfaction, whereas perceived stress was a significant negative predictor of life satisfaction. Female nursing students reported significantly higher perceived stress than male students, while male students reported significantly higher life satisfaction; resilience did not differ significantly by gender. These findings suggest that resilience functions as a protective psychological resource that buffers nursing students against the adverse effects of clinical and academic stress and sustains subjective well-being. Implications for nursing curricula, student counselling services, and resilience-building interventions are discussed.