Effect Of A Structured Intervention On Examination-Related Anxiety And Stress Among Nursing Students: A Pre Experimental Study
Keywords:
Examination anxiety, stress, nursing students, intervention, B.Sc. Nursing, GNM, nursing education, stress managementAbstract
Background
Examination-related anxiety and stress are common among nursing students and may affect their academic performance and psychological well-being. Structured educational and coping interventions may help students manage these challenges.
Aim
To assess the effect of a structured intervention on examination-related anxiety and stress among nursing students in a selected College of Nursing, Nuapada, Odisha.
Methods
A pre-experimental, one-group pre-test–post-test study was conducted among 60 nursing students selected through purposive sampling from a College of Nursing in Nuapada, Odisha, India. The intervention consisted of three sessions, each lasting 45 minutes, delivered in English and Odia. Examination-related anxiety and stress were assessed before the intervention and three days after its completion using the study assessment instruments. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests.
.Results
The mean anxiety score decreased from 28.23 ± 4.54 at pre-test to 23.23 ± 4.79 at post-test, with a mean reduction of 5.00 points. The mean stress score decreased from 27.46 ± 4.98 to 22.35 ± 5.40, representing a mean reduction of 5.11 points. The reported paired-samples t-values were 20.50 for anxiety and 19.11 for stress, with p < 0.001 for both outcomes. The proportion of students classified as having severe anxiety decreased from 30.0% to 6.7%, while the proportion with severe stress decreased from 28.3% to 6.7%.
Conclusion
The structured intervention was followed by statistically significant reductions in examination-related anxiety and stress scores among the participating nursing students. However, because the study used a one-group pre-test–post-test design without a comparison group, the observed changes cannot be attributed exclusively to the intervention. Controlled studies with larger samples are recommended.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mr.Binod Bihari Rohidash (Author)
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