Pressure and protective factors influencing nursing students self-esteem: A content analysis study

Abstract

Background: A review of the literature shows that the range of self-esteem in nursing students ranges from normal to low. It is hypothesized that different contextual factors could affect levels of self-esteem. Objective: The main aim of this study was to explore these factors from the viewpoint of Iranian nursing students using a qualitative approach. Design: A qualitative content analysis study. Setting: Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, 2014. Participants: Fourteen student nurses and two qualified nurses. Methods: This study has been applied to various depths of interpretation. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Fourteen student nurses and two qualified nurses were interviewed. Results: Two main themes of the “pressure factors” with subthemes: low self-efficacy, sense of triviality, ineffective instructor–student interaction, low self-confidence and “protective factors” with subthemes: knowledge acquisition, mirror of valuability, professional autonomy, religious beliefs, and choosing the nursing field with interest was extracted in this study. Results showed that these themes have interaction with each other like a seesaw, as pressure factors decrease, the effect of protective factors on the self-esteem are increased. Conclusion: Nurse educators not only should try to improve the students' skills and knowledge, but should also try to enhance the protective factors and decrease pressure factors by enhancing the nursing students' feeling of being important, using participatory teaching methods, considering students' feedback, and attempting to improve facilities at the clinics are also recommended.