Student-Led Stress Reduction Support Groups: A Qualitative Program Evaluation

Abstract

Background: Burnout and attrition in nursing have been accelerated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Nursing students experience greater stress than non-nursing students but often lack adequate institutional support to build resiliency. Support groups are an effective strategy for processing stress that are underused in nursing education. An innovative online stress impact course was developed at a college of nursing to address students' stress during the pandemic. The course culminated in a voluntary virtual support group led by a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner graduate student. The aim of this qualitative program evaluation was to determine how graduate nursing students experienced the stress support group. Method: This study used qualitative exploratory analysis of support group reflections from 47 graduate nursing students. Results: Four themes emerged: (1) Making Positive Connections; (2) Leveraging Skills to Manage Stress; (3) Beneficial; and (4) Facing Trauma. Conclusion: Graduate student-led support groups are a feasible and effective strategy to mitigate stress and improve nursing student resiliency. [ J Nurs Educ . 2023;62(12):711–715.]