Carlos Sequeira1, José Carlos Carvalho2, Amadeu Gonçalves3, Maria José Nogueira4, Teresa Lluch-Canut5, Juan Roldán-Merino6. 1. Carlos Sequeira, RMHN, PhD, Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde-CINTESIS, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. 2. José Carlos Carvalho, RMHN, PhD, Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde-CINTESIS, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. 3. Amadeu Gonçalves, RMHN, PhD, Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde-CINTESIS, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. 4. Maria José Nogueira, RMHN, PhD, Escola Superior de Saúde Atlântica, Barcarena, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde-CINTESIS, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal. 5. Teresa Lluch-Canut, RMHN, PhD, Grupo de Estudiis de Invarianza de los instrumentos de medición y análisis del cambio en los ámbitos social y de la salud, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 6. Juan Roldán-Merino, RMHN, PhD, Campus Docent Sant Joan de Déu, Escola Universitària d'Infermeria, adscrit a la Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Positive mental health (PMH) is described as the sense of feeling good and functioning well. PMH is vital for the individual's positive functioning and psychological well-being, particularly regarding the factors important for living a purposeful life and accomplishing personal goals. Nursing students are exposed to a variety of stressors that are very likely to decrease well-being and trigger stress, anxiety, and depression. Data focusing on PMH in nursing students are lacking, and this subject has been frequently neglected in nursing practice and research on positive functioning. AIMS: To assess positive mental health levels in two samples of nursing students. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study. A convenience sample of 2,238 nursing students with an average age of 21 years (17-36 years old) were recruited from two nursing schools-Porto (Portugal) and Barcelona (Spain). The Positive Mental Health Questionnaire and sociodemographic items were used to measure the PMH. RESULTS: The majority of participants were female (88.6%), and 7.7% had physical health problem and 2.6% referred to a mental health problem. The mean PMH score was 83.4, indicating a good PMH level. A total of 58.4% reported a moderate PMH, and only 0.5% indicated low PMH level. Results were not significantly different between genders (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study make important contributions to our understanding of PMH levels in a large sample of nursing students and the efficacy of Positive Mental Health Questionnaire, which is an accurate tool to measure PMH. Our findings also prompt discussion about PMH and its implications for practice and teaching.
BACKGROUND: Positive mental health (PMH) is described as the sense of feeling good and functioning well. PMH is vital for the individual's positive functioning and psychological well-being, particularly regarding the factors important for living a purposeful life and accomplishing personal goals. Nursing students are exposed to a variety of stressors that are very likely to decrease well-being and trigger stress, anxiety, and depression. Data focusing on PMH in nursing students are lacking, and this subject has been frequently neglected in nursing practice and research on positive functioning. AIMS: To assess positive mental health levels in two samples of nursing students. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study. A convenience sample of 2,238 nursing students with an average age of 21 years (17-36 years old) were recruited from two nursing schools-Porto (Portugal) and Barcelona (Spain). The Positive Mental Health Questionnaire and sociodemographic items were used to measure the PMH. RESULTS: The majority of participants were female (88.6%), and 7.7% had physical health problem and 2.6% referred to a mental health problem. The mean PMH score was 83.4, indicating a good PMH level. A total of 58.4% reported a moderate PMH, and only 0.5% indicated low PMH level. Results were not significantly different between genders (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study make important contributions to our understanding of PMH levels in a large sample of nursing students and the efficacy of Positive Mental Health Questionnaire, which is an accurate tool to measure PMH. Our findings also prompt discussion about PMH and its implications for practice and teaching.
Entities:
Keywords:
health promotion; nursing students; positive mental health; well-being
Authors: Joana Nobre; António Calha; Henrique Luis; Ana Paula Oliveira; Francisco Monteiro; Carme Ferré-Grau; Carlos Sequeira Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-07-03 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Carlos Sequeira; Odete Araújo; Tânia Lourenço; Otília Freitas; José Carlos Carvalho; Patrício Costa Journal: Int J Ment Health Nurs Date: 2022-04-06 Impact factor: 5.100
Authors: Sónia Teixeira; Carme Ferré-Grau; Teresa Lluch Canut; Regina Pires; José Carlos Carvalho; Isilda Ribeiro; Carolina Sequeira; Teresa Rodrigues; Francisco Sampaio; Tiago Costa; Carlos Alberto Sequeira Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-03-08 Impact factor: 3.390