ISSN : 2663-2187

Invest 10 (I-10): Evaluation of the Impact of 10 Minutes of Self-Care and Stress-Reducing Activities on Nursing Students at the University of Guam

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Ma. Rona Olalia, Ana Joy Mendez,
» doi: 10.48047/AFJBS.6.12.2024.5946-5952

Abstract

Nursing school, among other things, can be stressful. The COVID-19 pandemic has become another stressor. The Nursing faculty at the University of Guam (UOG) recognized the importance of mitigating stress among their students and implemented Invest-10 (I-10) in Spring 2022 in most nursing courses. About ten minutes of class time is dedicated to doing self-care and/or stress-reducing activities. Hence, the name of the intervention is Invest-10 or, I-10. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of I-10 among UOG nursing students and address the following objectives: 1) Determine which of the I-10 activities the students prefer; 2) Assess how I-10 affects the stress levels of the nursing students; and overall, 3) Describe the impact of I-10 on students. Methods: This study used convenience sampling. Sophomore, junior, and senior nursing students (n=85) had access to an online survey on QuestionPro from April 5 to April 15, 2022. The survey is a 24-item questionnaire that includes Likert Scale, Select All That Apply, and Yes or No-type questions. Results: Seventy-seven nursing students completed the survey. Majority of the nursing students felt I-10 was a good use of time. Stretching, listening to music, and activities that elicit humor were among the preferred I-10 activities. Nursing students reported feeling less stressed (80.5%) and being more confident in effectively dealing with stress (72.7%). Over three-fourths of the students stated they know more self-care and stress reducing activities, and more than half of the students were found to dedicate more time outside of class to do self-care/stress-reducing activities after the introduction of I-10. Conclusion: Spring 2022 is the first semester I-10 has been implemented in the UOG Nursing Program. Overall, nursing students find I-10 beneficial and worthwhile. Nursing students reported feeling less stressed, calmer, and more confident in effectively handling stress.

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