Stress/Resource Complex, Sense of Coherence and Professional Identity Among Nursing Students: A Latent Profile and Mediation Analysis

PURPOSE: Sense of coherence is significant to mental health and professional development in nursing students. However, the association among stress/resource complex, sense of coherence, and professional identity is less explored in nursing students. This study was designed to identify latent subtypes of stress/resource complex and to evaluate the mediating role of sense of coherence between stress/resource complex types and professional identity in nursing students. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A total of 595 nursing students were recruited from Be Resilient to Nursing Career (BRNC) between October and December 2021 and administered with 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, General Self-efficacy Scale, 10-item Chinese Perceived Stress Scale, 13-item Sense of Coherence Scale, and Professional Identity Questionnaire for Undergraduate Students. Latent profile analysis and mediation analysis were performed. RESULTS: Three latent subtypes of stress/resource complex were identified: Flexibility (14.8%), Ordinary (44.2%), and Maladjustment (41.0%). Nursing students with role model were prone to Ordinary (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.03–2.13, p = 0.035) and Flexibility (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 1.17–3.16, p = 0.011). The association between stress/resource complex types and professional identity was mediated by sense of coherence (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There exists heterogeneity in nursing students’ stress/resource complex. The association between stress/resource complex subtypes and professional identity was mediated by sense of coherence.