ArticleCurationis2026
Responding to extreme stress: Resilience and psychological distress in undergraduate nursing students in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Article in Curationis, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNursing students face significant academic and clinical stressors that can affect their psychological well-being. These challenges are intensified during extraordinary events, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
objectivesThis study investigated psychological distress and resilience among junior (1st year - 2nd year) and senior (3rd year - 4th year) undergraduate nursing students exposed to a major stressor at two universities in the Western Cape, South Africa.
methodA survey was conducted among 589 nursing students during and after COVID-19. Most respondents were female (77.4%) and junior students (75.2%), with a mean age of 22.5 years (± 4.6). Data collection took place at University A (February 2021-March 2021) and University B (November 2021-February 2022). Measures include psychological distress (Kessler-10), resilience (Response to Stressful Experiences Scale) and fear of COVID-19 (Fear of COVID-19 Scale).
resultsOverall, students reported mild psychological distress and fear of COVID-19, and high levels of resilience. Senior students experienced significantly higher psychological distress than juniors (p 0.001), but lower fear of COVID-19 (p = 0.028). Resilience did not differ significantly between groups, with most students demonstrating high resilience.
conclusionNursing students showed strong resilience despite the added pandemic-related stressors. Elevated distress among seniors, however, highlights the need for targeted psychological support. Strengthening resilience within nursing education may prepare students to manage future crises and contribute to a sustainable, adaptable nursing workforce.Contribution: This study provides evidence on the psychological well-being of nursing students in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasises the importance of resilience-building interventions within nursing curricula and institutional support systems to safeguard student health and professional readiness.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.