Effect of Peer Mentorship on Stress in First-Year Nursing Students

NCT07610096 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IKU-NRS-ZA-1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the effect of a peer mentor-mentee program on perceived stress levels among first-year nursing students. Starting university and adapting to nursing education may be stressful for first-year students due to new academic, social, and environmental demands. Peer mentoring may help students adapt to university life, receive academic and social support, and cope more effectively with stress. This study was designed as a non-randomized controlled experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The study population consists of first-year nursing students enrolled at the same institution. Students in the experimental group will participate in an eight-week peer mentor-mentee program supported by fourth-year nursing students who serve as mentors. The program includes guidance on adaptation to university life, academic processes, time management, problem-solving, communication, and coping with stress. Mentor-mentee meetings will be conducted face-to-face or online according to student availability. Students in the control group will receive the university's routine orientation and standard academic advising services. The main hypothesis of the study is that first-year nursing students who participate in the peer mentor-mentee program will have different post-intervention perceived stress levels compared with students in the control group. Perceived stress will be assessed before and after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale. The effectiveness of the mentoring process will also be evaluated using the Peer Mentorship Evaluation Scale.

Conditions

Perceived Stress; Stress; Psychological

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Perceived Stress Scale Score

  Perceived stress will be assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale. The scale consists of 8 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 (never) to 4 (very often), with total scores ranging from 0 to 32. Higher total scores indicate higher perceived stress. The primary outcome is the change in perceived stress score from baseline to after completion of the eight-week peer mentor-mentee program.

  Baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Mentorship Evaluation Scale Score

  Immediately after the 8-week intervention

Study Arms (2)

Peer Mentor-Mentee Program Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm received an eight-week peer mentor-mentee program in addition to the university's routine orientation and standard academic advising services. First-year nursing students were matched with fourth-year nursing student mentors at a ratio of 1 mentor to 5 mentees. Mentors and mentees received structured training about the mentoring process, university adaptation, academic processes, time management, problem-solving, leadership, communication skills, confidentiality, ethical principles, and coping with stress. Mentor-mentee meetings were conducted face-to-face or online according to student availability, and communication was also supported through mobile instant messaging groups.

Behavioral: Peer Mentor-Mentee Program

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in this arm received the university's routine orientation program and standard academic advising services only. Students could meet with their academic advisors during advising hours and communicate with them by e-mail when needed. No peer mentor-mentee program was provided to this group during the study period.

Interventions

Peer Mentor-Mentee Program BEHAVIORAL

The intervention consisted of a structured eight-week peer mentor-mentee program designed to support first-year nursing students during their adaptation to university life and nursing education. Fourth-year nursing students served as peer mentors after receiving training on mentoring roles, communication, confidentiality, ethical principles, time management, problem-solving, leadership, and stress coping. Each mentor was matched with five first-year nursing students. Mentor-mentee meetings were conducted face-to-face or online according to student availability, and communication was supported through mobile instant messaging groups.

Peer Mentor-Mentee Program Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being a first-year nursing student at Istanbul Kent University
• Being enrolled in the nursing department during the study period
• Being 18 years of age or older
• Volunteering to participate in the study
• Providing written informed consent
• Being able to complete the online data collection forms

You may not qualify if:

• Refusing to participate in the study
• Not providing informed consent
• Not completing the pretest or posttest data collection forms
• Being absent from the peer mentor-mentee program process in a way that prevents participation in the intervention
• Being a transfer student or previously having completed first-year nursing education

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Istanbul Kent University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Istanbul Kent University

Istanbul, 34406, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Officials

• Seher Yurt, PhD

  seher.yurt@kent.edu.tr

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This is a non-randomized controlled experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. First-year nursing students in one class section were assigned to the intervention group, and students in another class section were assigned to the control group to reduce contamination between groups. The intervention group participated in an eight-week peer mentor-mentee program, while the control group received routine orientation and standard academic advising services.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 20, 2026
• First Posted: May 27, 2026
• Study Start: November 3, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 29, 2025
• Study Completion: January 2, 2026
• Last Updated: May 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)