Background: Although nursing students experience a high level of stress during their training, there has been\r\nlimited research on stress and its impact on the student�s physical responses, such as gastrointestinal symptoms.\r\nThe aims of this study are to assess the prevalence of GI symptoms in nursing students in Korea and to examine\r\nthe association between the perceived stress and GI symptoms.\r\nMethods: A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used. A total of 715 students of a three-year associate\r\ndegree nursing program in a Korean college participated. The Perceived Stress Scale and a GI Symptoms\r\nQuestionnaire were administered through a self-reported system. Chi-square tests, Fisher�s exact test, and logistic\r\nregression analysis were performed using SPSS 17.0.\r\nResults: Sixty-five percent of the nursing students experienced more than one GI symptom, with 31.1% of\r\nstudents reporting more than three GI symptoms. Most of the nursing students complained of upper dysmotility\r\nand bowel symptoms. In addition, students who reported higher perceived stress were significantly more likely to\r\ncomplain of GI symptoms. Compared to nursing students with the lowest perceived stress level, the adjusted odds\r\nratio (OR) for GI symptoms in students with the highest perceived stress level was 3.52 times higher (95% CI =\r\n2.05-6.06).\r\nConclusions: GI symptoms that are highly prevalent among nursing students are significantly associated with the\r\nperceived stress level. High perceived stress should be considered a risk factor for GI symptoms. To reduce\r\nperceived stress, stress management programs including cognitive reappraisal training are needed in nursing\r\ncurriculum.
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