Heba Shafik
Nursing education is acknowledged as one of the stressful and emotionally demanding profession. Stress among nursing students is an inevitable issue that might lead to poor psychological wellbeing. Having a good emotional competence helps university nursing students to decrease their stress and enhance their psychological well-being. This study was aimed to determine the relationship between the perceived stress, psychological wellbeing and emotional competence among baccalaureate nursing students. A descriptive correlational research design was used in this study. Baccalaureate nursing students who were enrolled at psychiatric nursing and mental health course and accept to participate in the study were the study subjects. Their number amounted 135 students, four tools were used namely; bio-socio demographic data structured interview schedule, Ryff???s psychological wellbeing (RPWB) scale, the emotional skills/ competence questionnaire and perceived stress scale (PSS). The results of this study revealed that there is a positive significant relation between the students??? psychological well-being and their emotional competence also, a negative significant relation between them and students??? perceived stress. It can be concluded that more than half of the studied nursing students had very high level of perceived stress and demonstrated a moderate degree of emotional skills/competence In addition; the purpose in life, positive relations, and personal growth of psychological well-being obtained the highest mean score. Implementation of emotional hygiene program, to teach the nursing students to care for their own emotions and didn???t leave them injured or untreated is recommended.