ABSTRACT
Objective: to evaluate the relationship between the stress perceived and the coping strategies used by Nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at a university in Cartagena, Colombia. The sample size was calculated at 302 participants. A survey was applied regarding demographical data, a Stress Coping Questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale-10. The tests used in order to calculate the association were Student’s t, ANOVA one-way, Tukey test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. Results: the study included 302 participants (100%), out of which 94% were female, 80.1% were 15-to-24 years old, 82.5% had low socioeconomic level, 73.2% came from urban areas, and 67.9% had a nuclear family. The level of stress among students was moderate, with 19.1 (SD: 4.9) as average, and higher for 15-to-19-year old students (p= 0.01). Coping strategies were significantly different according to gender, age, type of family and environment (rural/urban);no differences were found in terms of socioeconomic level. The stress perceived was directly correlated with the coping strategy of negative self-targeting (r= 0.41;p< 0.001) and open emotional expression (r= 0.38;p< 0.001);and it was negatively correlated with localized problem solving (r= -0.25;p< 0.001);religion (r= -0.26;p< 0.05) and search for social support (r= -0.11;p< 0.05). Conclusion: there is a relationship between the levels ofstress perceived and the use of coping strategies among students. Overall, the search for social support, religion and problem solving will reduce the level of stress perceived by students. © 2022 DAE Editorial, Grupo Paradigma. All rights reserved.