Effect of Peer Mentorship on Stress in First-Year Nursing Students

This study aims to evaluate the effect of a peer mentor-mentee program on perceived stress levels among first-year nursing students. Starting university and adapting to nursing education may be stressful for first-year students due to new academic, social, and environmental demands. Peer mentoring may help students adapt to university life, receive academic and social support, and cope more effectively with stress. This study was designed as a non-randomized controlled experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The study population consists of first-year nursing students enrolled at the same institution. Students in the experimental group will participate in an eight-week peer mentor-mentee program supported by fourth-year nursing students who serve as mentors. The program includes guidance on adaptation to university life, academic processes, time management, problem-solving, communication, and coping with stress. Mentor-mentee meetings will be conducted face-to-face or online according to student availability. Students in the control group will receive the university's routine orientation and standard academic advising services. The main hypothesis of the study is that first-year nursing students who participate in the peer mentor-mentee program will have different post-intervention perceived stress levels compared with students in the control group. Perceived stress will be assessed before and after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale. The effectiveness of the mentoring process will also be evaluated using the Peer Mentorship Evaluation Scale.