| Popis: |
In the context of an increasing focus on college student success and retention, concerns about campus violence, and reports of deteriorating college student mental health (Pryor, Hurtado, DeAngelo, Palucki-Blake, & Tran, 2010), ensuring that psychologically distressed students receive effective support is a high priority for institutions of higher education. When students experience psychological distress, they often choose to share their concerns with their support system???including family, friends, and faculty???instead of accessing mental health services (Kelly, Jorm, & Wright, 2007). As part of this support network, faculty members should be prepared to recognize and respond to psychologically distressed students, and refer them to the appropriate resources when necessary. Nursing students have been identified as at higher risk for distress due to stress, anxiety, and depression (Chernomas & Shapiro, 2013). The primary causes of distress for nursing students have been identified as heavy academic workload with high expectations, the challenges of the clinical setting, and personal stressors (Jimenez, Navia-Osorio, & Diaz, 2010). Nursing faculty members, therefore, should be prepared to provide assistance to distressed students who are experiencing academic and personal challenges that can have a negative impact on academic performance and well-being. Nursing student mental health has been extensively studied; however, the body of knowledge related to the role of nursing faculty members in responding to distressed students is scant. The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of providing support to psychologically distressed students from the perspective of nursing faculty members. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was utilized to explore the phenomenon of interest through a hermeneutic circle of inquiry, based on the philosophy of Heidegger and the traditions of van Manen. Data were gathered from nursing faculty members from public 2-year and 4-year prelicensure registered nursing programs throughout California. Convenience sampling yielded 78 respondents to an online survey designed to generate an overview of the experiences of nursing faculty who have provided support to distressed students. The survey also elicited contact information; purposive sampling from this pool resulted in 21 interviews with nursing educators. Through an extensive manual coding process, interpretive analysis yielded four dominant themes: utilizing the nursing process to provide support, working within the environments of nursing education, understanding the experience of distressed students, and defining the role of the nursing educator. These themes are presented as the four dimensions of a conceptual model based on Ida Jean Orlando???s Nursing Process Theory. This conceptual model serves as a visual representation of the lived experience of nursing faculty members who have provided support to distressed students. Recommendations for best practices include providing training for recognizing and responding to distressed students, initiating campus-wide programs to encourage self-care and help-seeking behaviors, and establishing policies and procedures to ensure that distressed students are connected to the appropriate resources and treated fairly. Recommendations for future research include investigation into the socialization of nurses into the faculty role, how faculty members can provide more effective support to students in the environments of nursing education, and trends in student distress. |
