DefinePK

Abstract

Background:
Nursing students encounter numerous challenges in their professional education, such as rigorous coursework and intense clinical experiences, which may affect their overall well-being, life satisfaction (LS), and subjective happiness (SH). These problems may negatively affect students’ academic achievements and career prospects. Moreover, these negative outcomes are strongly associated with student disengagement and attrition, which poses a critical threat to the sustainability of the nursing work force. Moreover, psychological capital (PsyCap) has been shown to positively influence the individuals’ abilities to cope with these challenges. This scoping review aimed to examine the relationships among PsyCap, SH, and LS in nursing students.
Objective: To synthesise and critically appraise the extant literature on the interrelationship between PsyCap, SH, and LS among nursing students.
Methods: This review adhered to the methodology established by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and subsequently refined by Levac et al. (2010), while conforming to the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature published from 2019 to June 2024 was conducted using the PubMed, ScienceDirect, CINAHL, and Google Scholar databases.
Results: From an initial corpus of 998 articles, 41 were selected based on the inclusion criteria. This research encompassed 15 nations, with China, the United States, and South Korea contributing the most studies. Nursing students consistently exhibited positive associations between PsyCap and both SH (r = 0.41 to 0.68, p < 0.01) and LS (r = 0.38 to 0.72, p < 0.01). Cultural variations were observed in 37% of the studies, with Western nations demonstrating stronger correlations than Asian countries. Four intervention-based studies reported post-intervention enhancements in PsyCap scores, ranging from 8% to 23% (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: This analysis underscores the beneficial association between PsyCap, SH, and LS among nursing students across diverse cultural contexts. Although PsyCap-focused interventions appear promising, further comprehensive longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm their sustained effects.