With the introduction of clinical practice and the constraints of the nursing profession, student nurses are liable to experience stress in the course of their studies (Asturias et al., 2021, Bodys-Cupak et al., 2016, Hernández Ortega et al., 2021). They must cope with strong emotional demands, not least because of potential conflicts with patients, families and supervisors. They are also stressed by the fear of lacking knowledge, making errors and failing to correctly perform specific clinical procedures (Beanlands et al., 2019, Hernández Ortega et al., 2021). Stressors in student nurses has been extensively studied (Asturias et al., 2021, Foster et al., 2018, He et al., 2018, Priesack and Alcock, 2015). Results show that their stress levels are higher than those of students in other fields (Bodys-Cupak et al., 2016, Wolf et al., 2015). It is therefore important to address both the stressors and the resources available during training, to promote students’ health and avoid dropout from nursing education (Bakker et al., 2020, Soerensen et al., 2023).

According to work stress models (Bakker et al., 2004, Hobfoll, 2002, Lazarus and Folkman, 2020), both contextual resources and personal resources can be used to cope with situational or organizational demands. Contextual resources concern aspects related to social supports such as friends, family, colleagues or work organization. Personal resources are aspects of the self that are related to resilience and refer to the personal characteristics (e.g., optimism, resilience, self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, locus of control, sense of coherence) that enable individuals to control and adapt to their work environment. In the healthcare sector, researchers have identified some personal resources related to self-efficacy (SE) and emotion regulation skills, such as conflict management styles (CMSs) and emotional intelligence (EI), that could be developed to reduce stress among student nurses (Bodys-Cupak et al., 2016, Cuartero and Tur, 2021, Shoji et al., 2016, Szczygiel and Mikolajczak, 2018). To our knowledge, the influence of each personal resource on stress has been explored separately. With the present study, we propose to examine the respective influence of each personal resource on student nurses’ stress and well-being.

Self-efficacy (SE) is a concept emerged from Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1989) and is defined as “people’s beliefs about their capabilities to exercise control over events that affect their lives” (Bandura, 1993, p. 118). People with high SE perceive difficult events as opportunities rather than threats and therefore approach threatening situations with confidence. Low SE is associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms, low self-motivation and poor academic performance. By contrast, high SE is associated with positive perceptions about the self that facilitate self-confidence, motivation and academic success (Bandura, 2010). As people with high SE have the perception that they can exercise control over the situations they encounter, they are less likely to experience stress (Nway et al., 2023) or burnout (Shoji et al., 2016). SE is also relevant for students’ health and well-being (Cuartero and Tur, 2021), as well as for clinical communication competency (Zhu et al., 2016). In Bodys-Cupak et al. (2016)’s study, SE had a significant impact on the stress levels of Polish student nurses, as well as on the way they coped with difficult situations (see also Nway et al., 2023). SE is therefore regarded as an important resource for promoting resilience and the ability to maintain function in the face of adversity (Priesack and Alcock, 2015).

Another personal resource related to conflict management styles (CMSs) has also been identified as efficient resource: “interpersonal conflict in healthcare settings leads to workplace adversity for student nurses and new nurses” (Pines et al., 2012, p. 2). Student nurses are not always sufficiently well prepared to deal with interpersonal conflicts. Concerning the effects of different CMSs on stress, research has shown that an appropriate CMS can increase the benefits of constructive conflict and promote harmonious and cooperative work (e.g., Chan et al., 2014; Labrague et al., 2018; Michinov, 2022). CMSs have been described as specific behavioral patterns that individuals prefer to use when dealing with conflict. Rahim (1983) identified five CMSs: integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding and compromising. Research shows that student nurses prefer to use integrating and obliging styles to regulate conflicts with supervisors or colleagues, while the integrating style is also preferred by nurse managers (Chan et al., 2014, Labrague et al., 2018, Pines et al., 2012). Student nurses have a lower tendency to use a dominating style when facing supervisors and it is generally the style used least frequently. Tabak and Orit (2007) found that the integrating and dominating styles are associated with low occupational stress levels, whereas the obliging and avoidance styles are linked to higher stress levels. However, some studies have shown that the relationship between CMSs and stress is a complex one and depends on the type of conflict, the status of the other party (i.e., supervisor, colleague, or patient) and personal characteristics such as emotion regulations (e.g., Labrague et al., 2018; Michinov, 2022). When a conflict occurs, the emotional state of the individuals is involved (e.g., frustration, anger, fear) and can play an important role (Jehn, 1997). Thus, the ability to manage interpersonal conflicts could also involve individuals’ emotional intelligence (EI).

Salovey and Mayer (1990) first introduced the concept of EI and conceptualized it in four dimensions: (1) appraisal of emotion in oneself, (2) appraisal and recognition of emotion in others, (3) regulation of emotion in oneself and (4) use of emotion to facilitate performance. Goleman (1995) conceptualized EI based on four categories (i.e., self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management), postulating that individuals with higher EI can select effective conflict resolution strategies to manage stressful conditions. Several studies have shown that higher EI scores are associated with less burnout and higher job satisfaction in high-risk sectors with emotional demands (Görgens-Ekermans and Brand, 2012, Michinov, 2022, Szczygiel and Mikolajczak, 2018). Higher EI has been found to be significantly associated with less perceived stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms (Carvalho et al., 2018, Foster et al., 2018, Zhang et al., 2016) and greater well-being (Dugué et al., 2021, Ruiz-Aranda et al., 2014). Dugué et al. (2021) showed that EI has many benefits for student nurses and training programs aimed at developing EI have proved to be effective in nursing education. Although individuals with higher EI scores can handle conflicts by selecting suitable CMSs, there has been little research on the relationships between EI and CMSs and their impact in student nurses’ stress levels (Chan et al., 2014, Morrison, 2008).