Mental Health and Self-Esteem among Faculty Nursing Students

The presence of positive mental health and self-esteem help nursing students to deal
with the different events and daily problems and pursue their own goals in life. Consequently
they can function effectively in the society. Objective: Determine the relationship between
degrees of mental health and self-esteem among faculty nursing students. Setting: The present
study was carried out at the faculty of nursing, Damanhour University. Subjects: Three
hundred nursing students were randomly selected using simple random sampling method.
Tools: Tools used comprised General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Rosenberg Self-Esteem
Scale (RSE) and Socio-demographic and academic characteristics questionnaire. Results: A
high significant positive correlation was found between mental health and self-esteem
(P=0.001). Male students have higher degree of mental health. Positive correlation was also
found between students' satisfaction with choosing nursing as a profession and their mental
health and self-esteem (P: 0.000 and 0.037, respectively). Conclusion: Faculty nursing
students in general experience psychological well-being. However, a substantial proportion
of them may be on the verge of facing psychological distress. Recommendations: Nursing
students' degree of mental health and self-esteem should be assessed regularly, and the
counseling services should be organized for students with low degrees of mental health and
self-esteem.