Mental health in nursing students: review of prevention and promotion strategies

Abstract

This research, articulated with SDG 3 and the axes of the Institutional Development Plan of the Lay University "Eloy Alfaro" of Manabí, aimed to analyze the mental health of students of the Nursing career through a systematic review of recent literature. A retrospective, descriptive and exploratory study was carried out following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Articles were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO with terms related to depression, anxiety, academic stress and burnout, applying language filters (Spanish and English). Original studies focused on nursing students that reported prevalence or associated factors were included; Reviews, editorials, and studies without specific analysis for nursing were excluded. Screening and selection by consensus were performed by two independent review authors. After the review, 10 articles were included for narrative synthesis. The results showed a high prevalence of academic stress, anxiety, depression and burnout; protective factors such as resilience, social support and self-efficacy were identified; and it was observed that clinical practices and internships act as aggravating factors. It is concluded that it is necessary to strengthen institutional programs and evidence-based psychoeducational strategies for the prevention and improvement of the well-being of future nursing professionals.