Stress/Resource Complex, Sense of Coherence and Professional Identity Among Nursing Students: A Latent Profile and Mediation Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: Sense of coherence is significant to mental health and professional development in nursing students. However, the association among stress/resource complex, sense of coherence, and professional identity is less explored in nursing students. This study was designed to identify latent subtypes of stress/resource complex and to evaluate the mediating role of sense of coherence between stress/resource complex types and professional identity in nursing students.

Participants and methods: A total of 595 nursing students were recruited from Be Resilient to Nursing Career (BRNC) between October and December 2021 and administered with 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, General Self-efficacy Scale, 10-item Chinese Perceived Stress Scale, 13-item Sense of Coherence Scale, and Professional Identity Questionnaire for Undergraduate Students. Latent profile analysis and mediation analysis were performed.

Results: Three latent subtypes of stress/resource complex were identified: Flexibility (14.8%), Ordinary (44.2%), and Maladjustment (41.0%). Nursing students with role model were prone to Ordinary (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.03-2.13, p = 0.035) and Flexibility (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 1.17-3.16, p = 0.011). The association between stress/resource complex types and professional identity was mediated by sense of coherence (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: There exists heterogeneity in nursing students' stress/resource complex. The association between stress/resource complex subtypes and professional identity was mediated by sense of coherence.

Keywords: latent profile analysis; mediation analysis; nursing students; professional identity; sense of coherence; stress/resource complex.

Figure 1

The hypothetical framework of stress/resource complex, sense of coherence and professional identity among nursing students.

Figure 2

Pearson correlation heatmap among stress/resource complex, sense of coherence and professional identity.

Figure 3

Parameters for the final three-class patterns.

Figure 4

A hypothesized mediator model with three stress/resource complex types as independent variable (X), sense of coherence as a mediator (M), and professional identity as dependent variable (Y).