[Factors influencing health-related quality of life among patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease in South Korea: a cross-sectional survey study].

Recently, in response to the shortage of nurses in medical institutions, the enrollment quota for nursing colleges in the South Korea is continuously expanding []. In addition to implementing this expansion policy, it is also important for nursing students to successfully adapt to college life without dropping out, to enable them to develop their competencies as professional nurses []. Nursing education aims for students to develop theoretical knowledge and clinical skills for professional nursing roles []. Given its academic nature, nursing students adapt to not only difficult specialized knowledge but also on-campus and clinical practice []. Consequently, nursing students can have difficulties adjusting to college life, which may result in them dropping out []. The dropout rate among nursing students is influenced by complex interactions of various elements such as personal, institutional, political, and professional factors []. Furthermore, dropout occurs not only in the early stages but also later stages in their university education [,]. Therefore, it is essential to explore effective strategies that help nursing students adapt well throughout their college years and successfully complete their studies. Stress is defined as an individual’s perception that external demands exceed their ability to cope with those demands []. Prolonged exposure to stress can impair autonomic nervous system function, thereby disrupting the homeostatic balance of the human body []. Psychologically, stress can lead to depression, emotional instability, and anger, potentially progressing to depressive disorders or other psychiatric symptoms [,]. Nursing students commonly face significant stress, which is recognized as a global issue []. Those engaged in both academic coursework and clinical practice often report experiencing higher stress levels compared to students in other undergraduate programs []. Thus, various negative life events that nursing students experience during their college life may add to their stress. Nursing students experience psychological distress due to negative life events such as academic pressure and interpersonal relationships []. Stress during the academic process can negatively impact various academic outcomes, including motivation, achievement, and college adaptation [-], potentially reducing the number of nursing students who successfully graduate. Therefore, it is essential to explore ways to reduce stress among nursing students to have them adapt well in college life. Psychological capital (PsyCap) may serve as a crucial factor in supporting nursing students' adaptation to college life and alleviating stress. PsyCap is a higher-order construct comprising four positive psychological resources: self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism []. These components are theoretically interrelated; for instance, optimistic individuals tend to expect positive outcomes, self-efficacious individuals are more likely to set and achieve challenging goals, hopeful individuals pursue multiple pathways toward their goals, and resilient individuals are able to recover from adversity when encountering obstacles []. Collectively, these psychological resources foster internalized control and goal-directed behavior, thereby promoting psychological well-being even in the face of stressors [,]. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests that PsyCap may also be associated with physiological responses to stress, including cortisol regulation, cardiovascular recovery, and immune function []. PsyCap is well-recognized for its significant role in the work environment, positively impacting job related outcomes such as work attitude, performance, and job satisfaction []. Furthermore, previous studies have highlighted the relevance of PsyCap to various academic outcomes among university students, such as performance, participation, burnout, adaptation, stress, and motivation [].