Effectiveness of Calisthenic Exercises in Reducing Stress Among Nursing Students in a Selected College of Nursing at Mysuru

Abstract

Stress is one of the most prevalent psychological challenges experienced by nursing students due to academic demands, clinical responsibilities, examinations and personal challenges. Prolonged stress among nursing students may affect negatively on their mental health, learning outcomes and academic performance. Regular physical exercise has been recognized as an effective non-pharmacological strategy for stress management. Calisthenic exercises has been identified as an effective method to reduce stress and improve mental well-being. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of calisthenic exercises in reducing stress among nursing students in a selected college of nursing at Mysuru.
A quantitative research approach with a pre-experimental one group pretest post-test research design was adopted. The sample of the study comprised of 60 Baccalaureate Nursing students.
Convenient Sampling technique was used to select the 60 samples of nursing Students. Baseline stress levels were assessed using a structured questionnaire and Perceived Stress Scale to collect data from the students. Calisthenic exercises were conducted 30 minutes daily for four weeks. Post intervention stress levels were measured using the same instrument. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics including the paired t-test and chi-square test. The results revealed that the post test score were significantly lower than the pre- test scores. The study concludes that regular calisthenic exercises are an effective, economical, and easily implementable intervention for reducing perceived stress among nursing students. Incorporating regular calisthenic exercise sessions into nursing education may promote psychological well-being, improve coping abilities, and enhance academic and clinical performance, thereby contributing to better overall health and professional preparedness.