Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A (2024)

Background: Stress and coping during nurse education and training are widely recognized as important areas of research, as nursing students often experience high levels of stress due to academic demands, clinical placements, and personal life stressors. 
The aim of this study was to examined nursing students’ stress levels and their coping strategies in clinical practice. 
Methods: The study was conducted at the College of Nursing, ABHA, King Khalid University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, using a descriptive design. A convenience sample from nursing students (n=153) who enrolled in an academic year 20222/2023 in the five, seven, and eight levels. Two tools were used for data collection: The Perceived Stress Scale and the Coping Behavior Inventory survey.
Results: The study findings indicate that the highest percentage of nursing students had a moderate level of academic stress(64.1%), the coping strategies most frequently used by nursing students were problem-solving, followed by stay optimistic, while avoidance coping strategy was the least frequently used by nursing students. Therefore, In light of these findings, its recommend that the teaching of positive coping strategies should be implemented in the nursing curriculum prior to clinical placements.