Psychological well-being and coping with academic stress among nursing, health sciences, and engineering students: A comparative cross-sectional study

Abstract

University students are currently exposed to high levels of academic stress, which negatively affects mental health and psychological well-being. Stress perception depends on individual appraisal processes and coping strategies, as well as emotional resources such as emotional intelligence, resilience, and self-esteem. However, few studies have jointly examined these variables across different academic disciplines. This study aimed to address the gap in comparative research between health sciences and computer engineering regarding academic stress and its emotional correlates. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 277 1st-year students from a private university in Spain. Data were collected using validated scales (Academic Stress Coping Scale, Ryff, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Rosenberg, and Trait Meta-Mood Scale 24). The study was approved by the Catholic University of Murcia Ethics Committee (code CE022402). Participants completed a battery of validated questionnaires assessing perceived stress, coping strategies, emotional intelligence, resilience, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. Group comparisons and correlation analyses were performed using nonparametric tests. Health Sciences students reported significantly higher stress levels than computer engineering students (P < .05). Specifically, 37.25% of medicine students reported experiencing “a lot” of stress, compared to only 10.2% of computer engineering students. Nursing students showed the highest levels of psychological well-being, self-esteem, and resilience. Significant negative relationships were found between stress and positive reappraisal (r = −0.32, P < .01), resilience (r = −0.29, P < .01), self-esteem (r = −0.26, P < .01), and self-acceptance (r = −0.24, P < .01 mainly among nursing and physiotherapy students. Medicine students displayed lower emotional clarity (21.7 ± 7.7), which was positively associated with stress (r = 0.28, P < .05). The findings highlight discipline-specific differences in stress and emotional resources, underscoring the need for targeted university interventions. Specific programs to enhance resilience are recommended for physiotherapy students, while medicine students specifically require emotional clarity training to improve their coping skills and psychological well-being.