Dealing with stress: patterns of self-comfort among healthcare students.
Stress among healthcare students is a growing problem. As self-comfort is assumed to be a way of coping with stressful emotions, the aim of this study was to describe the patterns of self-comforting actions that healthcare students usually use in distress. One hundred and sixty-eight healthcare students volunteered to write down accounts of what they do when they comfort themselves. Their accounts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings reveal two themes: Ingressing and Transcending. Ingressing comprises the sub-themes Unloading, Distracting, Nurturing oneself, Withdrawing and Reassuring. Transcending comprises the sub-themes Opening up and Finding new perspectives. These findings are in line with some stress-reducing strategies described in the literature on stress management. Winnicott's theory about the phenomenon of transition is used to interpret the findings. In the light of Winnicott's theory, self-comforting measures can be comprehended as the ability to transfer early childhood experiences of being nurtured and comforted into well-adapted strategies to effect relaxation and gain strength.
Dahlqvist
Vera
V
Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Sweden. vera.dahlqvist@nurs.umu.se
Söderberg
Anna
A
Norberg
Astrid
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000523:psychology*; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden