Resilience refers to the capacity to adapt effectively to adversity, trauma, threats, and significant stressors, including family, health, workplace, and financial challenges. It encompasses learnable behaviors, thoughts, and actions that anyone can develop. While Hong Kong's 15-year-old students ranked third globally in academic resilience according to a 2018 report, they demonstrated some of the lowest levels of social and emotional resilience worldwide. The mental health of Hong Kong youth has been severely impacted by the 2019–2020 protests and the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022. The Coroner's Court reported in 2023 that the suicide rate among 15–24-year-olds reached a record high of 12.2 per 100,000 persons in 2022, nearly double the 2013 rate. Nursing students face additional challenges beyond these societal stressors, including academic pressures, unexpected adversities during clinical placements, and the demanding transition from student to registered nurse in their final year. Cultivating strong resilience in nursing undergraduates is therefore critically important.
This research project aims to introduce a nurse-led Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) programme specifically designed for 400 final-year nursing undergraduates and to evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing students' resilience and mental health outcomes.
Participants attended 2.5-hour face-to-face training sessions, held biweekly for a total of 3 sessions, with each accommodating a maximum of 25 students and incorporating both theoretical and practical components. An experienced team consisting of a nurse educator and a certified counselor will deliver the SMART programme.
The project's findings can be established an evidence-based framework for developing resilience among college students, providing valuable insights for international researchers and higher education institutions. An effective SMART programme could enhance nursing undergraduates' persistence in academic and professional careers, potentially reducing Hong Kong's nursing attrition rate. This is particularly significant given that 48% of nurse resignations involve those with under three years' experience, and new graduates demonstrate high first-year turnover intentions.