Background: The psychological well-being of university students significantly impacts their academic performance and future professional preparation. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationships between perceived stress, self-esteem, and learning strategies in university students enrolled in Nursing and Obstretics degree programs, in order to understand the impact of psychological well-being on their study abilities. Method: This study is observational cross-sectional, using non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The study involved students enrolled in Nursing and Obstetrics courses at the University of Salerno. A standardized self-reported questionnaire will be used. Results: 331 students (82.75%) participated voluntarily. Correlations show significant relationships consistent with psychological literature. Higher self-esteem correlates with lower perceived stress (r = −0.325, p < 0.01), better information elaboration (r = 0.156, p < 0.01), and higher metacognitive awareness (r = 0.123, p < 0.05), but negatively with organizational strategies (r = −0.150, p < 0.01) and self-evaluation frequency (r = −0.153, p < 0.01). Perceived stress correlates positively with organizational strategies (r = 0.180, p < 0.01) and self-evaluation frequency (r = 0.178, p < 0.01), suggesting stress may drive compensatory strategies. Multiple regression analyses showed that self-esteem was a significant positive predictor of information elaboration strategies (β = 0.49, p = 0.05). Both self-esteem (β = −0.52, p = 0.01) and perceived stress (β = −0.74, p = 0.01) were significant negative predictors of structured learning strategies, suggesting that higher levels of stress and self-esteem are associated with a reduced use of planned organizational approaches. The models explained a substantial proportion of variance, with adjusted R² values of 0.52 for elaboration and 0.63 for strategy components. Conclusions: These results emphasize the need for interventions to enhance learning strategies and stress management among students.

Background: The psychological well-being of university students, particularly those enrolled in nursing degree programs, significantly impacts their academic performance and future professional preparation. Stress, self-esteem, and study motivation can negatively affect study load management and performance. However, the dynamics of these variables in the nursing context are little explored. Method: The study involved 331 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing and Ostetrics courses at the University of Salerno (range age |18-40| years; 70.7%F). Standardized instruments for the study approach (QAS-AMOS), stress (PSS-10), and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) were used. Results: The results of this study highlight that self-esteem, perceived stress level, and metacognitive skills significantly influence students' academic performance and well-being. Effective metacognitive strategies improve organization and reflection in study, whereas high stress impairs study planning and processing. Conclusions: The findings suggest that stress and low self-esteem are critical factors that negatively affect the academic performance of nursing students. We recommend implementing targeted interventions to support stress management and improve self-efficacy, reducing the risk of burnout and promoting academic success.

Background: Emotional awareness is a core component of professional competence in healthcare, influencing therapeutic communication, stress regulation, and relational effectiveness. Alexithymia, defined as difficulty identifying and describing emotions, may interfere with the development of these skills during nursing education. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of alexithymic traits in Italian nursing students and to examine differences according to gender and academic year. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional design was adopted. A total of 232 undergraduate nursing students from several Italian universities completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) via an anonymous online survey. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA were performed. Results: The mean TAS-20 total score was 60.36 (SD = 11.22), approaching the clinical cutoff. Approximately 26% of students met the criteria for alexithymia. No statistically significant differences emerged across gender or academic year. A near-significant trend was observed for the Difficulty Identifying Feelings subscale (p = 0.053). Conclusions: A substantial proportion of nursing students reported elevated alexithymic traits. These findings highlight the need to strengthen emotional competence within nursing curricula to support professional development and resilience.