Academic stress following progressive muscle relaxation among grade XII nursing students
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56922/mhc.v5i5.4314
Academic Stress Nursing Students Practical Examination Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Abstract
Background: Nursing practical examinations can impose substantial academic and psychological pressure on students. A preliminary study found that 87% of grade XII nursing students at Senior High School Citra Medika Sragen experienced symptoms of academic stress, including anxiety, sleep difficulties, headaches, and decreased concentration before examinations. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a simple, non-pharmacological intervention that may help reduce physical and psychological tension associated with academic stress.
Purpose: To determine the effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on academic stress levels among grade XII nursing students before practical examinations.
Method: This pre-experimental study employed a one-group pretest-posttest design without a control group. The sample consisted of 23 female grade XII nursing students selected using purposive sampling. Academic stress was measured using the Perceived Academic Stress Scale (PASS). Data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk normality test and a paired-samples t-test.
Results: The mean academic stress score before the intervention was 52.00 ± 6.79, with the majority of respondents categorized as experiencing high academic stress (69.6%). Following the PMR intervention, the mean academic stress score decreased to 45.04 ± 3.50, with 65.2% of respondents categorized as experiencing low academic stress. The mean reduction in academic stress score was 6.96 ± 3.29, with a statistically significant difference between pretest and posttest scores (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Progressive Muscle Relaxation significantly reduced academic stress levels among grade XII nursing students before practical examinations. PMR may therefore be considered a simple non-pharmacological intervention for managing academic stress in nursing students.
Keywords: Academic Stress; Nursing Students; Practical Examination; Progressive Muscle Relaxation.
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