Background:

Throughout their education, nursing students are exposed to factors that can decrease their quality of life and general health status when associated with musculoskeletal symptoms.

Objective:

To identify the psychosocial factors associated with the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms in undergraduate nursing students.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional study with 253 students from university-level nursing schools. Data were collected between March and April 2018 through a self-administered questionnaire including sociodemographic variables and the Portuguese versions of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), the 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (EADS-21).

Results:

Anxiety, stress, and depression were identified as variables associated with the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms affecting nursing students’ health.

Conclusion:

There are psychosocial factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms in nursing students. Understanding these risk factors will allow for the timely planning of prevention strategies and contribute to enhancing the learning process.

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