Factors associated with nursing students' sense of coherence: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and objective: The Salutogenic Theory has a central element called Sense of Coherence, which measures the ability to cope of individuals in everyday situations. The objective of this study is to verify the factors associated with the nursing students’ Sense of Coherence.

Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study, carried out with 199 students from an undergraduate nursing course at a public university in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, in June 2019. A form with sociodemographic and health characteristics, and Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Questionnaire were applied. The median of the scale score was used to rate the Sense of Coherence in higher and lower.

Results: The variables age up to 21 years (p = .013), not having a job (p = .032), absence of a spouse (p = .018), concern for the future (p = .006), lack of physical activity (0.023), use of psychotropic drugs (p = .002), insomnia (0.004), severe anxiety (p = .001), and moderate and severe depression (p = .000) were associated with a lower Sense of Coherence.

Conclusions: The sociodemographic and academic variables presented influence the nursing students’ Sense of Coherence, which emphasizes the need for actions aimed at the more susceptible students’ mental health.