Cross-Sectional Study Links Nursing Student Well-Being to Resilience and Coping

In a multicentre cross-sectional analytical study of 682 undergraduate nursing students across three Spanish public universities, psychological well-being was positively associated with resilience and problem-focused coping strategies, while showing an inverse association with emotion-focused coping. Evaluating students during the 2021–2022 academic year amid the exceptional context of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers observed that higher well-being was linked to resilience and problem-focused coping dimensions—specifically Seeking Social Support and Positive Reappraisal—whereas emotion-focused coping in the form of Negative Self-Talk was associated with poorer well-being scores.

Hierarchical regression modeling demonstrated that resilience alone accounted for 26.7% of the variance in psychological well-being among the participating cohorts. When specific coping strategies were incorporated into the model, the total explained variance increased to 46.5%. Introducing academic year as an ordinal term contributed only a minimal increment (ΔR² = 0.008; final R² = 0.475, p = .002), indicating that coping mechanisms and resilience explained substantially more variation in well-being than students’ progression through their academic program.

In a categorical sensitivity model, the academic-year block initially contributed an additional ΔR² = 0.009 (F change(3, 671) = 3.79, p = .010), with fourth-year students exhibiting lower well-being scores than first-year students (B = −6.31, 95% CI −10.05 to −2.58, p = .001). However, following additional statistical adjustment for age, sex/gender, university, and academic record, the year-specific differences were no longer statistically significant. Across these adjusted analyses, resilience and coping dimensions maintained their independent associations with well-being, while institutional location also played an independent role, with attendance at University 2 versus University 1 associated with lower well-being (B = −5.02, p = .003).

Reported in accordance with STROBE guidelines, the investigation administered an anonymous online questionnaire that incorporated sociodemographic and academic variables, the 10-item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, the Coping with Stress Questionnaire, and the Ryff Psychological Well-being Scale. The study authors noted that convenience sampling was used, meaning findings are limited to the participating student groups and cannot be interpreted as representative of all Spanish nursing students. Furthermore, the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference regarding the observed relationships between coping styles, resilience, and well-being.

Subject of Research: Psychological well-being, resilience, and coping strategies among undergraduate nursing students

Article Title: Resilience, coping strategies and psychological well-being across academic years in nursing students: a multicentre cross-sectional study

Article References: Cobo-Cuenca, A. I., Nieto-López, M., González-López, J. R., Sarabia-Cobo, C., Visier-Alfonso, M. E., Bartolomé-Gutierrez, R., López-Honrrubia, R., & Alconero-Camarero, A. R. (2026). Resilience, coping strategies and psychological well-being across academic years in nursing students: a multicentre cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05620-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05620-w

Keywords: nursing students, psychological well-being, resilience, coping strategies, problem-focused coping, negative self-talk, cross-sectional study, higher education, coping, strategies, psychological, well-being