Empowering Midwifery Students: Educational Intervention Based on Group Counseling for Clinical Stress Management

Background: Clinical education in medical sciences is highly stressful. Students face stressors not only related to the learning environment but also in the clinical setting. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of group counseling on clinical stress management among midwifery students at a medical university in southeastern Iran. Methods: In this quasi-experimental interventional study, a before-after design was employed using the census method involving 48 midwifery students. A researcher-designed questionnaire was utilized to evaluate factors contributing to stress. The educational interventions were conducted in eight group sessions from November 2021 to February 2022 at Pastor Educational and Medical Hospital in Bam City, Kerman province. Data analysis was conducted using the MIC-MAC model, and statistical analyses included the paired sample t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient through SPSS. Results: Overall, mean scores of stressors decreased significantly after the educational intervention (P = 0.006). Before the intervention, the highest and lowest mean scores were related to teacher role (3.15 ± 0.84) and student s personality (2.18 ± 0.61), respectively. After the intervention, these subareas continued to have the highest and lowest mean scores of stressors, (2.73 ± 0.94) and (2.19 ± 0.66), respectively. All stressors showed a significant correlation with the total stress score after the intervention. Conclusions: The presence of stress management programs tailored to the specific needs of medical science students, both in academic and clinical settings, is crucial. These programs should prioritize enhancing communication skills between teachers and students, improving interpersonal relationships, and providing incentives to boost student self-confidence.