Perceived stress and gastrointestinal symptoms in nursing students in Korea: A cross-sectional survey

A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. A total of 715 students of a three-year associate degree nursing program in a Korean college participated. The Perceived Stress Scale and a GI Symptoms Questionnaire were administered through a self-reported system. Chi-square tests, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression analysis were performed using SPSS 17.0.Sixty-five percent of the nursing students experienced more than one GI symptom, with 31.1% of students reporting more than three GI symptoms. Most of the nursing students complained of upper dysmotility and bowel symptoms. In addition, students who reported higher perceived stress were significantly more likely to complain of GI symptoms. Compared to nursing students with the lowest perceived stress level, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for GI symptoms in students with the highest perceived stress level was 3.52 times higher (95% CI = 2.05-6.06).GI symptoms that are highly prevalent among nursing students are significantly associated with the perceived stress level. High perceived stress should be considered a risk factor for GI symptoms. To reduce perceived stress, stress management programs including cognitive reappraisal training are needed in nursing curriculum.Nursing students experience a high level of stress during their training. This stress comes not only from academics, but also from clinical stress arising from the theory-practice gap, along with possible poor relationships with the clinical staff [1-3]. Such stressors could lead to a negative coping style [4], burnout, and psychological morbidity [2,5]. There have been many studies on the level of stress, the sources of stress, and its impact on psychological response among nursing students. However, there has been limited research on stress and its impact on the student's physical responses, such as gastrointestinal symptoms.Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, common in the world-wide population, create not only higher health care utilization,