Nursing students face some of the highest levels of occupational stress of any professional group in training, and new research suggests that the type of psychological support they receive can make a meaningful difference to their well-being. A study conducted in Nigeria has compared two well-established stress management approaches and found that, while both are effective, one produces significantly stronger results. The findings were published in ISPCE Bulletin.
The research, carried out among trainee nurses in Ilorin, Kwara State, examined the effects of mindfulness skills training and solution-focused brief therapy on stress levels. Thirty participants with high stress scores were divided into two groups and each received eight weeks of weekly one-hour sessions. Stress was measured before and after the intervention using a validated questionnaire covering physical, behavioural, and psychological symptoms.
Both approaches produced notable reductions in stress. However, the group receiving solution-focused brief therapy showed significantly lower post-test stress scores compared to those who had undergone mindfulness training, with a moderate effect size suggesting the difference was not merely statistical noise.
The researchers suggest that the practical, goal-oriented nature of solution-focused brief therapy may be particularly well suited to the pressures faced by nursing students in the Nigerian educational context. Students in this setting often contend with heavy academic workloads, limited resources, and rigid institutional hierarchies. A therapy that helps individuals identify concrete solutions and build on existing strengths may offer more immediate relief than an approach centred on internal awareness and acceptance.
Mindfulness, by contrast, may require a longer period of consistent practice before its full benefits become apparent, especially in environments where stress is persistent and ongoing. The researchers note that cultural factors could also play a role, as a proactive, solution-building framework may align more naturally with the worldviews of students in this setting.
The study also examined whether gender influenced the outcome of either intervention. Female participants appeared to benefit more from mindfulness training, while male participants showed a stronger response to solution-focused brief therapy. The authors urge caution in interpreting these findings, however, given the small number of male participants in each group. They describe the gender results as preliminary and hypothesis-generating rather than conclusive.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that structured psychological support within nursing education can meaningfully improve student well-being and, by extension, training outcomes. The authors recommend that nursing institutions consider embedding solution-focused brief workshops into their curricula, particularly where resources are limited and a brief, practical approach is more feasible to implement.
They also call for future studies with larger, more balanced samples to properly examine the role of gender in determining which stress reduction technique works best for a given individual. Understanding these differences could help educators and counsellors tailor support more effectively for all trainee nurses.