Smoking prevalence, attitudes towards tobacco and levels of stress among Spanish nursing students

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2005 in the subject Psychology - Social Psychology, grade: 68 %, Nottingham Trent University, language: English, abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the student nurses' attitudes, beliefs and personal behaviour in relation to tobacco issues and the nursing profession, and their levels of stress. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used. Year of study (first, second, and final year) and smoking status (smokers and non-smokers) were independent variables, while responses regarding tobacco behaviour, perceived stress as measured by the GHQ-12 (Goldberg, 1978) and by the PSQ (Levenstein et al, 1991), and different attitudes and beliefs questions were dependent variables. One hundred and sixty-one Spanish undergraduate nursing students (aged 18-42 years) were administered and returned the questionnaires. High prevalence of tobacco used was found. Levels of stress were similar for all years although smokers were found to have higher levels than non smokers. Misperception of information related to the effects of smoking on stress might be a tobacco maintenance factor.