RESEARCH ARTICLE


Persistent (Anxiety and Depression) Affected Academic Achievement and Absenteeism in Nursing Students



Mohannad Eid Abu Ruz1, *, Hekmat Yousef Al-Akash2, Samiha Jarrah3
1 College of Nursing, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan
2 Clinical Nursing Department, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan
3 Faculty of Nursing, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan


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Creative Commons License
© 2018 Abu Ruz et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this athor at the College of Nursing, Applied Science Private University, P.O Box 142, Shafa Badran, 11934, Amman, Jordan, Tel: 00962790262408; Fax: 0096265232899; E-mails: mohannadeid@yahoo.com, m_aburuz@asu.edu.jo


Abstract

Background:

Anxiety and depression are common among nursing students due to different factors. When they are minimal and not persistent, they work as stimuli for good achievement. However, when they are high or persistent they have negative consequences (i.e. low academic achievement and higher absenteeism rates).

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to check the effect of persistent anxiety and depression on nursing student academic achievement and absenteeism rate.

Methods:

A prospective observational correlational design with a convenience sample of 170 students enrolled in the undergraduate and graduate programs-college of nursing at a private university in Amman, Jordan. Anxiety and depression were measured twice at the beginning of the semester and then two months later by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data regarding grade point average, number of absenteeism and the gender of the students; were collected from the electronic system of the university.

Results:

Persistently anxious group has lower grade point average than persistently non-anxious group (mean [SD], 64.1 [13.8] vs. 73.1 [12.3], P< .001). Moreover, they have higher absenteeism rate than persistently non-anxious group (7.62 [5.7] vs. 4.0 [3.4], P< .001) and higher than transiently anxious group (7.62 [5.7] vs. 4.7 [4.6], P< .05). Persistently depressed group has lower grade point average than persistently non-depressed group (64.0 [13.8] vs. 73.2 [13.0], P< .001) and lower than transiently depressed (64.0 [13.8] vs. 71.7 [10.6], P< .01).

Conclusion:

Nursing administrators should search for the underlying causes for these negative emotions. Furthermore, setting strategies to control these negative emotions is highly recommended.

Keywords: Anxiety, Depression, Academic achievement, Absenteeism, Collegial life, Education.