Stress and the Eating Behaviors of PLM Nursing Students: A Basis for Eating Modification Guidelines Collado, Rolando Jr. A.; Dela Cruz, Ma. Patricia J.; Dela Cruz, Percival N.; Espinosa, Freia Ann Ghelyn C.; Firmalino, Lotess Marie A.; Gonzales, Wilfred Dave D. and Guerrero, Rose Nicole L. 6

Undergraduate (Thesis) Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila;College of Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing 56

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ABSTRACT: Nurses have a great deal of responsibility placed upon them with regards to patient care. They experience feelings of psychological, emotional and physical responsibility and obligation to many people they are taking care of. Consequently, as a nursing student, it takes a lot of patience, sacrifice and perseverance in order to endure statements. Using a 5-point Likert scale with varying transmutations, respondents were asked to provide particular situations that arouse stress and eating behavior. With a total of 333 nursing students who had responded to the questionnaire, only 30% of the entire population were selected through a simple random sampling to get the desire sample size. Using the SPSS method, data were collated, tabulated and categorized and subsequently subjected to Pearson R to determine the relationship of academic and clinical stress to the eating behavior. Also from the questionnaire, the weighted mean of each question items were computed and recorded in order to know up to what extent every item appears to be severely, moderately, stressful or not stressful. The result was classified according to the percentage, rank and the interpretation showing what number items from the stress and eating behavior categories appeared evident. The study finding showed that the respondents were experiencing higher level of stress in academic aspect than in the clinical aspect of nursing. All the three eating behaviors specified were practiced by the student nurses in different degrees. The results also implied that there is a significant relationship between academic stressors and the two eating behaviors namely under-eating and distracted with both having moderately low positive correlation. However, there is no significant relationship between academic stressors and over-eating. In terms of clinical stressors, results manifested that there is a significant relationship between the clinical stressors and the three eating behaviors. All of them have moderately low positive correlation with clinical stress. Moreover, the study showed that the respondents exemplified highest evaluation in clinical stress and distracted eating behavior while the relationship with the lowest correlation was between clinical stressors and over-eating behaviors. Finally, the researchers recommend an Eating Modification Guidelines which can show different ways of discarding the three eating behaviors exhibited by the respondents experiencing clinical and academic stress. It was divided into three sections. Each section focused on how the nursing students can improve their eating behaviors even when experiencing stress. It could serve as a guide for the nursing students to have healthier eating patterns amidst stressful situations.

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