Completed year of study moderating effect on the relation between coping strategies and self-esteem among novice nurses – cross sectional study

Aim. To investigate the moderating role of the completed year of study on the relationship between coping strategies and self-esteem among undergraduate nursing students. Material and methods. Data collection was carried out in June-December 2020. A convenience sample has been used. A number of 182 questionnaires have been included for the analysis. A questionnaire consists of two scales (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Brief COPE) and a metric. Results. The lowest self-esteem presented nursing students who completed their second year of education (M=24.74; SD=4.97). A moderation effect of the completed year of education on the relationship between self-esteem and the self-blame coping strategy and between the level of self-esteem and use of emotional support coping strategy was found. Conclusions. The alarming results for students who completed the second year of study indicate the need for special attention and intervention among this group. Moreover, study-life balance should be promoted to deal with stress more effectively and to support students’ self-esteem.