Analysis of the factors related to academic disapproval in the education of nurses: A mixed-method study

Objective: to evaluate the frequency and factors associated to disapproval among nursing students. Method: a descriptive and cross-sectional study, outlined by the convergent mixed method. A total of 88 nursing students of a Brazilian public university took part. The Reduced Academic Experiences Questionnaire was used for evaluating academic adaptation. The association of the variables in the study with disapproval was verified by bivariate analysis. Results: the frequency of disapprovals in the sample was 68.2%, recurrences in the same discipline in 39.8%, with the associated factors: age over or equal to 22 years old (p=0.015), family income below 2 minimum wages (p=0.019) and lag in the curricular flow (p<0.001). Disciplines with higher frequencies of disapprovals are of the basic area, taught in the first two years of the course and common to the health courses. Students without disapprovals had better perception of physical and psychological well-being (p=0.002), good interpersonal relationships (p=0.017) and more assertive study behaviors (p=0.005). Personal, study-related and institutional issues were motivating. Conclusion: the results reveal a high rate of disapproval, especially in the basic area. An association was found between disapprovals and mental health for nursing students during their education process, and difficulties were pointed out that can culminate with the disapproval rate in the curricular flow.