Trait and state of anxiety among nursing students during a practical test

Abstract

This study aims to identify the state-trait anxiety level and the different feelings of nursing students before a practical test of semiology and semiotechnic and to compare the level of anxiety with the performance in the test. The study took place at a private nursing faculty of Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. Forty five students from the 2nd year of the Nursing Faculty of the Israeli Hospital Albert Einstein were evaluated. Data was accessed by the Spielberg, Gorsuch and Lushene's (1970) State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results showed that most pupils presented average level of anxiety-traces (89%) and state (64%). The most frequent reported feelings were anxiety (44.2%) and fear (17.4%). Pearson's correlation test did not show significant relation between the anxiety-state of the students and their grades on practical test. We conclude that students were worried and anxious about the imminent evaluation of their practical skills. However, they were able to deal with these feelings and to create efficient confrontation mechanisms to avoid the potential negative effects of excessive anxiety and nervousness.