perceived level of stress and coping strategies …

ORIGINAL ARTICLE 66 http://www.iccrjnr.com Volume 6 ; Issue 1; Jan-Jun2021

ARTICLE

INFORMATION

Article History:

Received:

March 26th 2021

Revised:

June 22nd 2021

Accepted:

June 22nd 2021

Corresponding

Author:Rajeswari R.

Email ID:

rajeswarikannan19320

11@gmail.

com

Mobile No:

9344318568

PERCEIVED LEVEL OF STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES REGARDING

VIRTUAL LEARNING AMONG NURSING STUDENTS 1Prema K., 2Manimala S., 3Rajeswari R.*, 4Rathidevi S.

1 Principal, Annai Velankanni College of Nursing, Chennai, affiliated to The Tamil Nadu

Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. 2 Assistant Professor, Annai Velankanni College of Nursing, Chennai, affiliated to The Tamil

Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. 3 Vice Principal, Indirani College of Nursing, Ariyur, affiliated to Pondicherry University,

Kalapet, Puducherry, India. 4 Associate Professor, Indirani College of Nursing, Ariyur, affiliated to Pondicherry

University, Kalapet, Puducherry, India.

ABSTRACT

Background: Due to the COVID 19 pandemic lockdown, colleges and

schools were closed and all institutions had initiated online classes to

continue the academic process. These unexpected changes compelled all

those involved to use technological support for virtual learning. This poses

stress among the students due to many reasons. It is one of the biggest

health concerns, and coping abilities differ from one student to another.

Aim and objective: The present study was aimed at assessing the

perceived level of stress and coping strategies regarding virtual learning

among nursing students in selected colleges. Methodology: A descriptive

cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study. A total of 160

students were selected as samples by a purposive sampling technique and

the data was collected online using google forms. A structured demographic

questionnaire, structured perceived stress scales and coping strategy scales

were mailed individually. The online data was recorded and analysed.

Result: The results showed that 51.25% of the students had low stress,

4.50% had moderate stress and 6.25% had high levels of stress. Regarding

coping abilities, 40.62% of the students had poor coping abilities, 51.88%

had moderate coping abilities and 7.50% had good coping abilities. There was a negative fair

correlation found between the level of stress and coping (r value -0.39), indicating that as stress

increased, the level of coping decreased. There was a significant association found between the level

of stress and coping, with selected demographic variables like course, current year of study,

residence and number of online sessions. Conclusion: This study concludes that virtual learning

causes much stress among students but the stress is reduced when they are able to cope better with

the situation.

Keywords: Coping strategies, COVID 19, nursing students, pandemic, perceived stress, virtual

learning

Prema K., Manimala S., Rajeswari R., Rathidevi S., Perceived level of stress and coping

strategies regarding virtual learning among nursing students, ICCRJNR, Jan – Jun 2021, 6(1):

66-78

http://www.iccrjnr.com/


I INTRODUCTION

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected millions of people and

threatened their lives across the world. In India, the first case of Corona virus was found on

January 30, 2020, and it started increasing day by day. The WHO declared the coronavirus

disease as a pandemic on March 12, 2020. In order to prevent rapid spread of disease, the

Government of India announced a lockdown on March 22, 2020 which ceased the

functioning of the entire country in all sectors, including the educational sector.

Fig.No.1: COVID 19 Confirmed cases/Recovered/Deaths by Day in INDIA

Source: Predictions and role of interventions for COVID-19 outbreak in India | by COV-IND-19 Study Group |

Medium1

In India, all the state governments announced lockdowns for schools and colleges

without any certainty of reopening. This was a crucial time for the educational sector for

conducting board examinations, admissions for the next academic year, entrance tests of

various universities and competitive examinations. This urged all sectors to compensate with

the available technology. The Education Department also made a decision to use the online

mode of teaching at school and higher education levels. In the nursing colleges all over Tamil


https://bhramarm.medium.com/predictions-and-role-of-interventions-for-covid-19-outbreak-in-india-52903e2544e6

https://bhramarm.medium.com/predictions-and-role-of-interventions-for-covid-19-outbreak-in-india-52903e2544e6


Nadu, a common e-learning platform was initiated with the use of Google Classroom and

Zoom online platforms as per the Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council.

Sheroun D. et al., (2020) conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the perceived

stress and coping strategies among 427 first to final year B.Sc. Nursing students of selected

colleges in Pune during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. The majority of participants

were between 21-25 years. Results revealed that the male students had more perceived stress

(22.73) than female students (21.86). The maximum mean perceived stress score (22.56) was

observed among the 4th year students, and the least mean perceived stress score (20.20) was

found among the 2nd year students. The maximum mean coping strategies score (78.45) was

found among the 1st years and the least (71.23) was found among the 4th year B.Sc. Nursing

students. Based on this review, the investigator took an initiative to assess the perceived level

of stress and coping among the accessible nursing students, related to virtual learning during

the lockdown period.2

Statement of the problem

A study to assess the perceived level of stress and coping strategies regarding

virtual learning among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in

selected colleges of Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu.

Objectives of the study

1. To assess the perceived level of stress among nursing students regarding virtual

learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

2. To assess the level of coping strategies adopted by nursing students regarding virtual

learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

3. To correlate the level of stress and coping strategies among nursing students regarding

virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

4. To find out the association of the perceived level of stress among nursing students

regarding virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown with selected

sociodemographic variables.



5. To find out the association of level of coping strategies adopted by nursing students

regarding virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown with selected

sociodemographic variables.

Research Hypotheses

RH1: There is a significant correlation between the level of stress and coping among

students regarding virtual learning during the COVID 19 pandemic lockdown.

RH2: There is a significant association between the level of stress among students

regarding virtual learning during the COVID 19 pandemic lockdown and the selected

demographic variables.

RH3: There is a significant association between the level of coping among students

regarding virtual learning during the COVID 19 pandemic lockdown and the selected

demographic variables.

Assumptions

● Nursing students may have varied levels of stress regarding virtual learning during the

COVID 19 pandemic lockdown.

● Nursing students may have varied levels of coping strategies to manage the stress.

II MATERIAL AND METHODS

A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional design was chosen to attain the objectives of

this study. The research variables for the study were stress and coping strategies of nursing

students. The schools and colleges of nursing were randomly selected by lottery method and

the samples were selected through purposive sampling technique. Ethical Clearance was

obtained from the institutions and written informed consent was obtained from the selected

samples prior to data collection. Data was collected from 160 nursing students from all the

levels of General Nursing and Midwifery and B.Sc. Nursing courses from School and

College of Nursing at Chengalpattu district. Content validity was obtained from the experts

and reliability of the Structured Perceived Stress Scale and the Structured Coping Scale was



identified as 0.85 and 0.80 respectively. The tools were administered through online Google

forms and the responses were recorded.

Description of the tools

Part I: Assessment of demographic variables using structured questionnaires.

Part II: Assessment of level of stress using Structured Perceived Stress Scale. It consists of

10 questions with 5 points from 0-4 for each question. The score was interpreted as low stress

(0-13), moderate stress (14-26) and high stress (27-40).

Part III: Assessment of coping strategy using Structured Coping Scale which consists of 25

questions with 5 responses. The score for each response was assigned from 0-4. The score

was interpreted - less than 50% as poor coping, 51-75% as moderate coping, >75% as good

coping.

Data Collection Procedure

The data collection instruments were prepared as Google Forms. These forms were

mailed individually after obtaining the consent for participation. The responses were received

online and recorded. Confidentiality of data was assured to the samples. Data was organised

and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Methods Statistical Test Purpose

Descriptive

Statistics

Frequency and

percentage

Analyse the distribution of demographic variables

Inferential

Statistics

Karl Pearson

correlation

Identify the correlation between stress and coping level

ANOVA Find the association between the level of stress and

coping with the selected demographic variables



III RESULT

Section A: Distribution of demographic variables of the nursing students

Table 1: Frequency and percentage distribution of demographic variables

N=160

S. No. Demographic variables n Percentage

1 Courses

B. Sc. Nursing 125 78.13

DGNM 35 21.87

2 Current year of study

1 24 15.00

II 54 33.75

III 52 32.50

IV 30 18.75

3 Residence

Urban 65 40.72

Rural 67 41.88

Semiurban 28 17.50

4 Device availability

Cell phone 160 100

Laptop 0 0

Computer 0 0

Tablet 0 0

5 Number of siblings attending online classes in the family

One 82 51.24

Two 59 36.88

Three 19 11.88

6 Number of devices available at home for online classes

One 98 61.25



Two 45 28.12

Three 17 10.63

7 Number of online sessions per day

One 28 17.50

Two 24 15.00

Three 14 8.75

Four 94 58.75

8 Duration of online classes

30 minutes–2 hours 45 28.13

2 hours to 4 hours 74 46.25

More than 4 hours 41 25.62

9 No. of days of virtual classes/week

2-3 2 01.25

5 119 74.37

6 39 24.38

10 Comparison of virtual class hours with normal classroom hours

Longer than classroom hours 41 25.62

Same as classroom hours 38 23.75

Shorter than classroom hours 81 50.63

11 Attended online classes previously

Yes 116 72.5

Often 5 03.12

Rare 2 01.25

No 37 23.13

12 Previous knowledge about computer basics

Learnt basics of computer 7 4.38

Had knowledge about the computer 118 73.75

Don't know 35 21.88



13 Problems associated with virtual learning (specify)

Back pain 3 01.88

Noise disturbances 2 01.25

Eye pain 6 03.75

Headache 2 01.25

Stress 4 02.50

Other health problems 3 01.88

Difficult to understand 18 11.25

Network problem 40 25.00

Financial problem 3 01.88

Phone issues 8 05.00

No issues 71 44.38

Section B: Perceived level of stress among nursing students regarding virtual learning

during the Covid 19 lockdown

N=160

Fig. 2: Level of perceived stress among the students



Section C: Level of coping among nursing students regarding virtual learning during the

Covid 19 lockdown N=160

Fig. 3: Level of coping strategies among the students

Section D: Correlation between the level of stress and coping among nursing students

regarding virtual learning during the Covid 19 lockdown

N=160

Fig. 4: Correlation between stress and coping among the students

Section E: Association of the perceived level of stress among nursing students regarding e-

learning in the Covid 19 lockdown with selected demographic variables

There was a statistically significant association found between the perceived level of

stress and selected demographic variables like course of study (χ2=6.71 p=0.04DF=2), year of

study (χ2=16.63 p=0.01DF=6), area of residence (χ2=10.04 p=0.04), number of online



sessions per day ( χ2 = 13.04 p=0.04 DF 4 ), attended online classes before (χ2=13.39 p=0.04

DF 6).

Section F: Association of coping strategies adopted by the nursing students with selected

demographic variables

There was a statistically significant association found between the level of coping

strategies and the selected demographic variables like course (χ2=6.96 p=0.03DF=2), area of

residence (χ2=12.22,p=0.02DF=4) and the students who had completed computer courses

(χ2=15.77 p=0.01DF=4).

IV DISCUSSION

The first objective was to assess the perceived level of stress among nursing students

regarding virtual learning during the Covid 19 lockdown. It proved that 55.63% of the

students had low level of stress, 42.50% had moderate level of stress and 6.25% of them had

a high level of stress.

This result is consistent with the finding of a study conducted by Fatima A. (2020)

about “Stress among students in lockdown due to COVID-19 thereat and the effects of

attending online classes.” The results proved that 34.4% of the students felt stressed

sometime in the week, 22.6% of students felt stressed often in the week and 15.1% of

students are always in stress due to the threat of coronavirus. Finally, 51.4% of students were

stressed due to the corona threat, 69.8% of students were stressed about their studies, 78.5%

students were not comfortable with online classes and concluded that most of the students

were mentally stressed during this pandemic.3

The second objective was to assess the level of coping strategies adopted by the

nursing students regarding e-learning during the Covid 19 lockdown. It was found that

40.62% of the students had poor levels of coping, 51.88% had moderate levels and 7.50%

had good levels of coping.

Supporting this finding is a similar study by Chandra Y (2020) about “Online

education during COVID-19: perception of academic stress and emotional intelligence

coping strategies among college students” which revealed that many of them had started



diverting themselves through various creative activities and taking up courses which helped

them to learn new technical skills. By using emotional intelligence and distancing from

boredom and depressive thoughts, students were trying to cope with negative effects arising

from the current pandemic situation.4

The third objective was to correlate the level of stress and coping strategies among

nursing students regarding virtual learning during the Covid 19 lockdown. The Karl Pearson

Correlation coefficient ‘r’ value of -0.39 showed that there was a significant negative fair

correlation between the level of coping with the perceived stress score, at p=0.001. This

denotes that as the level of coping increases, the level of stress decreases. Hence, the research

hypothesis RH1, stated earlier, was accepted.

The fourth objective was to find the association of perceived level of stress among

nursing students regarding virtual learning during the Covid 19 lockdown and selected

sociodemographic variables. A significant association was found between the selected

demographic variables and the level of stress. Hence RH2, stated earlier, was accepted for the

specified variables.

The fifth objective was to find the association of the level of coping among nursing

students regarding virtual learning during the Covid 19 lockdown and selected

sociodemographic variables. There was a significant association found between the level of

coping and selected demographic variables. Hence, the Research Hypothesis RH3, stated

earlier, was accepted for the specified variables.

This result is similar to a study conducted by AlAteeq DA. on “Perceived stress

among students in virtual classrooms during the COVID-19 outbreak in Kingdom of Saudi

Arabia” which showed a significant association of female gender and university students with

stress level (p-value = 0.003 and 0.049, respectively).5

Limitations

Some of the limitations of this study are that the samples were chosen from one

district only; the stress level was assessed only at one point of time and subsequent stress

levels were not measured.



Recommendations

A similar study can be replicated at different settings with larger samples. A

longitudinal design can be adopted to measure the changes in the stress level with regard to

different teaching methodologies.

V CONCLUSION

Virtual learning is most widely accepted worldwide to manage the activities of the

educational sector in this present scenario. The problems relevant to technology and

socioeconomic background in implementing virtual learning create stress among the students.

This may lead to the development of positive or negative coping strategies. Counselling cells

can take up initiatives to identify the stressors and guide students for the promotion of

positive coping strategies.

VI REFERENCES

1. Group COV-IND-19 S. Predictions and role of interventions for COVID-19 outbreak in

India [Internet]. Medium. Medium; 2020 [Internet]. Available from:

https://bhramarm.medium.com/predictions-and-role-of-interventions-for-covid-19-outbreak-

in-india-52903e2544e6

2. Sheroun D, Wankhar DD, Devrani A. A Study to Assess the Perceived Stress and Coping

Strategies among Bsc Nursing Students of Selected Colleges in Pune during Covid-19

Pandemic Lockdown [Internet]. International Journal of Science and Healthcare Research.

1970 [Internet]. Available from:

https://ijshr.com/IJSHR_Vol.5_Issue.2_April2020/IJSHR_Abstract.0038.html

3.Ambreen Fatima [Internet]. SSRN. [Internet]. Available from:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=4073679

4.Chandra Y. Online education during COVID-19: perception of academic stress and

emotional intelligence coping strategies among college students. Asian Education and

Development Studies. 2020;10(2):229–38.

5. AlAteeq DA, Aljhani S, AlEesa D. Perceived stress among students in virtual classrooms

during the COVID-19 outbreak in KSA. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences.

2020;15(5):398–403.



VII SOURCE OF SUPPORT: None

VIII CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None

IX ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The author would like to acknowledge the contributory

authors and the study participants for their contribution.

X CONTRIBUTORS: PK: Conceptualisation of the study, preparation of the questionnaire,

MS: Data collection and data analysis and writing the manuscript, RR: Finalised the

manuscript, Edited and critically evaluated the manuscript. RS: Edited and finalised the

manuscript.


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