Abstract:

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is increasing at a dizzying rate that affects people's health and changes communication paradigms. Likewise, it modifies the lifestyle, facilitates the performance of various tasks, optimizes time and shortens distances. On the other hand, the radical change in the teaching modality from face-to-face to remote mode in university students generates stressful situations that affect family and social dynamics.

Techno-stress is any negative impact on attitudes, thoughts, behaviors or physiology caused by technology (Weil and Rosen), and its study is crucial because of the massive use of ICT, particularly in higher education. Previous studies report that Nursing Students (NS) present high levels of academic stress and that they present a moderate degree of dependence on cell phones and internet use; however, few studies address the impact of ICT on health and the family environment. In this sense, the objective of the study was to determine the association between the use of ICT and Techno-stress in NS in Lima, Peru.

In November 2020, a cross-sectional analytical study was implemented, using a form developed by Google Forms, 279 Nursing Students from two universities in Lima-Peru were surveyed (84.9% were women whose average age was 24 years). The population was 856, the calculated sample size was 266 and an intentional non-probabilistic sampling was used according to years of study. A Likert scale was implemented (created by Copparz et al. 2018) to determine the Techno-stress, which comprises four factors that assesses the impact of ICT on study and work, social relations, family relations and health. The ICT use variable was constructed based on four questions (frequency of use of electronic devices, time spent connected to social networks, frequency of cell phone use while eating and when in the health service). The reliability of the scale was determined using Cronbach's Alpha (0.933). For the bivariate analysis, the T Student test and ANOVA test were used, with a significance level of 0.05. The study was validated by an Ethics Committee.

We found that 54.5% study in a public university, 54.1% have more than two social networks, and 54.5% manifested that the primary device with which they connect to the internet is the cell phone. The mean Techno-stress score was 44.5 (SD 11.7); the highest score corresponds to the impact on study and work in comparison with the other factors evaluated. 68.5% make excessive use of ICT. The bivariate analysis reported that the Techno-stress score was associated with the type of university and the use of ICT.

To conclude, the findings show that the excessive use of ICT in NS could be affecting mainly their work and academic performance; as well as in their family and social relationship.

Keywords:

Stress, Students, nursing, family relations, universities.