Prevalence of academic stress in final-year nursing students at uabjo

Objective: To estimate the prevalence and characteristics of academic stress in undergraduate nursing students at the Autonomous University “Benito Juárez” of Oaxaca (UABJO) during the 2024-2025 academic year. Method: A descriptive-correlational cross-sectional study was conducted with 206 students (83% female; mean age 21.4 ± 3.2 years). The SISCO Academic Stress Inventory (Barraza-Macías, 2007) was administered via a digital form. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis. Results: The mean total score was 131.5 ± 29.8 (median 132). 68% of the students presented high (44.7%) or very high (23.3%) levels of academic stress, a figure higher than that reported in international meta-analyses and previous Mexican studies. The most prevalent symptoms (“almost always/always”) were fatigue at the end of the day (79.1%), excessive tension before exams (74.3%), and excessive workload (71.8%). Women showed significantly higher scores in all dimensions (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Nursing students at UABJO exhibit one of the highest documented prevalences of academic stress in Mexico and Latin America, with a greater impact on women and in advanced semesters. These findings underscore the urgent need to implement specific institutional programs for prevention and psychological support.