María Dolores Lazo-Caparros

Background/Objectives: Problematic smartphone use is common among nursing students and has been linked to academic and psychosocial difficulties. This PROSPERO-registered systematic review (CRD42024559668) identified the instruments used to assess smartphone addiction in nursing students and, secondarily, pooled typical addiction levels using the Smartphone Addiction Scale–Short Version (SAS-SV; 10–60) and examined psychosocial correlates. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL and ScienceDirect from 1 January 2014 to 9 May 2024. Eligible studies assessed problematic smartphone use in undergraduate nursing students with validated instruments, while development-only studies and pandemic-specific contexts were excluded. Methodological quality was appraised using the JBI checklist, and a random-effects meta-analysis was performed to estimate pooled scores and explore cross-study variability. Results: Fifty-three studies met inclusion; eleven contributed to the SAS-SV meta-analysis (N = 5586). The pooled mean score was 29.5 (95% CI 27.7–31.3), with very high heterogeneity (I² = 98%). Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results, and no publication bias was detected. Across studies, higher smartphone addiction was correlated with elevated stress and anxiety, sleep disturbance, and poorer academic and clinical performance. Conclusions: Nursing students’ SAS-SV scores cluster around ~29/60, with substantial between-study variability. Higher addiction scores were consistently associated with stress, anxiety, poor sleep, and reduced academic and clinical performance. However, interpretation is limited by the cross-sectional nature of the included studies and the very high heterogeneity observed. Standardising measurement is essential, but equally important is developing targeted educational interventions to foster healthier smartphone habits in nursing education. These results may guide nursing educators and institutions to design programs that foster healthier digital habits and support students’ academic and clinical performance.

Background/Objectives: Academic burnout is an emerging problem among nursing students, characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced academic efficacy. Sports interventions have been shown to have a positive effect on nurses as a preventive strategy against burnout. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a nature sports program on the levels of academic burnout in nursing students. Methods: A randomized clinical trial was performed. The intervention was a 12-week nature exercise program with two sessions each week. The main dependent variables were burnout (measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory—Student Survey), stress (measured using the Perceived Stress Scale), and anxiety and depression (measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). The post-intervention sample size was n = 58 in the control group and n = 48 in the intervention group. Results: After the intervention, significant differences were found in respect of emotional exhaustion (p < 0.001; Cohen’s D: 0.483), stress (p < 0.05; Cohen’s D: 0.456), and mean steps per day (p < 0.001; Cohen’s D: −1.09), with the mean values being reduced in the intervention group by around three points in emotional exhaustion and stress; the intervention group also achieved a higher mean number of daily steps compared to the control group. Conclusions: A nature sports program could help to reduce emotional exhaustion and stress, and increase the number of steps per day.

Background/Objectives: Academic burnout is an emerging problem among nursing students, characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism and reduced academic efficacy. Sport interventions have shown a positive effect on nurses as a preventive strategy against burnout. The aim was to evaluate effectiveness of a nature sport program in the levels of academic burnout in nursing students Methods: a randomized clinical trial was performed. The intervention was a 12-week a nature exercise program with two sessions each week. The main dependent variables were burnout (measured with MBI-SS), stress (measured with PSS) and anxiety and depression (measured with HADS). Results: sample size with n=50 in the control group and n=58 in the intervention group (81.81% response rate). After the intervention significant differences were found in emotional exhaustion (p<0.001), stress (p<0.05) and mean steps per day (p<0.001), with the mean values being lower in IG: emotional exhaustion (3.28 points) stress (2.85 points) and steps per day a week (1381 steps). Conclusions: A nature exercise program has some positive effects in emotional exhaustion, stress and steps per day a week.