An Examination of Mental Health, Perceived Barriers, and Outreach Recommendations amongRural College Students

Stress, Sleep, and Resilience Among Rural BSN Students in a New Nursing Program

BACKGROUND

Nursing students experience stress that may impact their sleep and resilience, especially those attending rural campuses that may have potentially limited access to resources.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among perceived stress, sleep quality, resilience, and demographics and predictors of resilience among senior BSN students.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, perceived stress, sleep quality, resilience, and demographic data were collected from a senior student cohort attending a new baccalaureate nursing program on a rural Appalachian campus (N = 16). Data were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate, and multiple regression analyses.

RESULTS

Perceived stress significantly associated with sleep quality, resilience, and gender. Perceived stress, sleep quality, and gender significantly explained 61% of the variance in resilience, with perceived stress as the strongest predictor.

CONCLUSIONS

Early collaborative assessment and intervention focused on mitigating stress may promote improved sleep and resilience. Availability of resources for students attending small rural campuses is essential.

Alcohol and cannabis use among rural university students: A quantitative analysis of barriers to care, student resilience, and school climate

Objective: This article examines impacts of student resilience, school climate, and barriers to mental health care on problematic drinking behavior and cannabis use among rural university students. Participants: A total of 948 students from a public university in a southeastern state that completed the 2019-2020 Healthy Minds Study. Methods: Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to test study hypotheses. Results: Students who binge drink are more likely to engage in problematic drinking behaviors than students who do not binge drink; students who engage in problematic drinking are more likely to use cannabis than those who do not engage in problematic drinking. As students face more barriers to mental health care, they are more likely to engage in problematic drinking and cannabis use; students who are more resilient are less likely to engage in problematic drinking. Conclusions: To promote health and wellbeing, universities must understand factors that impact substance use among students.