Background: The abrupt transition of traditional learning to online learning during Covid-19 outbreak may experience a great deal of stress in nursing students. They often used coping strategies in different ways in responding to the stressors.
Purpose: This study aimed to explore the stress level and coping strategies of nursing students in online learning during Covid-19 outbreak using a mixed-methods approach.
Methods: We recruited 157 bachelor nursing students from both academic and internship stages in a private university located in Bandung, Indonesia, which was expeditiously running online learning due to Covid-19 outspread provision from March 2020. To gather data, we used the Depression Anxiety Scale-42 (DDAS-42) and The Ways of Coping in the Indonesian version. An individual interview with 17 nursing students provided an in-depth understanding of students experiences of stress and coping strategy in online learning.
Results: The result showed that most students experienced normal stress levels (52.8%), although extremely severe levels were only reported by 7 respondents (4.8%). The top three coping strategies utilized by nursing students were emotion focused, problem focused and used together. The qualitative results revealed that the nursing students’ sources of stress were new experiences and hindrances to online learning. Coping strategies included seeking and support and positive acceptance.
Conclusions: This study indicates that although most of the respondents reported normal range levels of stress, there were nursing students in the extreme level of stress. With the help of government, faculty, peer and family support gave students strength to survive while encountered with stressors. Personal adaptation was used as a positive coping strategy to deal with stress.