Stress, Resilience, Coping and Alcohol use in Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

A BSTRACT Nursing education is inherently demanding, combining rigorous academics with early exposure to emotionally intense clinical environments. This makes nursing students particularly vulnerable to psychological stress, which can be influenced by factors such as resilience, coping strategies, and alcohol use. However, limited research has explored the interrelations among these variables in the Indian context. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 293 nursing students (90 males and 203 females) using the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), Brief COPE, and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test–Concise (AUDIT-C). Descriptive statistics, Mann–Whitney U tests, regression analysis, and Spearman’s correlation were applied. Female participants reported significantly higher perceived stress scores than males ( P = 0.012). No significant gender differences were found in resilience or coping styles. Problem-focused coping showed a positive correlation with both resilience (r = 0.296, P < 0.001) and perceived stress (r = 0.144, P = 0.014), and was a significant predictor of stress in regression analysis. Avoidant coping showed a weak positive correlation with alcohol use (r = 0.129, P = 0.027). AUDIT-C scores were low overall, with no significant gender difference in hazardous drinking. Female nursing students experience higher levels of perceived stress compared to their male counterparts. The low rates of hazardous alcohol use are encouraging, but the link between avoidant coping and alcohol consumption is a critical concern. The finding that age is a protective factor against stress suggests that targeted support for younger students might be particularly beneficial.