Quality of Life of Nursing Students: A Critical Review

Abstract

Background: Nursing students face significant academic, clinical, and psychosocial challenges that can adversely affect their quality of life, underscoring the need to synthesize existing evidence on factors influencing their well-being and educational success. Objective: This critical review aims to consolidate and analyse existing evidence on the quality of life among nursing students. Methods: Eight databases were systematically searched. Articles were retrieved using keywords in the title and abstract database fields for "quality of life," "nursing students," and their equivalent subject terms. Covidence software facilitated article importation, removal of duplicates, title and abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction.  Data extraction was conducted using Cochrane. Results: The review encompassed 105 articles. The majority (96) focused on undergraduate nursing students, with Asia (54), Canada and the USA (21), and Latin America (17) being the primary geographical locations of study. While cross-sectional designs and quantitative methods predominated, advanced statistical techniques were infrequently employed in the reviewed articles. Six research gaps were identified. The findings revealed that nursing students’ quality of life is shaped by a complex interplay of demographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviours, academic pressures, psychological attributes, health conditions, social supports, and the impacts of COVID-19, with positive psychological traits and supportive environments consistently associated with higher QoL, while stressors and unhealthy behaviours reduced it. Conclusions: This review suggests future directions for enhancing sample diversity, refining research methods and designs, expanding study variables, and employing advanced analysis techniques.