BACKGROUND:
Clinical practice is a vital part of midwifery education, yet it often causes psychological stress among students. In Muslim-majority societies, religious coping mechanisms may influence how students manage this stress.

OBJECTIVES:
To examine the relationship between clinical stress and religious coping styles among midwifery students.

METHODS:
This cross-sectional study was conducted with 244 midwifery students in southeastern Türkiye who had clinical practice experience. Data were collected using a socio-demographic form, the Pagana Clinical Stress Questionnaire, and the Religious Coping Scale. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlations were performed using SPSS 23.

RESULTS:
The average clinical stress score was 30.34 ± 9.05. Positive religious coping had a mean of 21.89 ± 5.01; negative religious coping had a mean of 6.83 ± 2.72. Positive coping was significantly associated with the “struggle” subscale (p<.05). Negative coping was associated with “threat” and “harm” subscales (p<.05). Students who had not voluntarily chosen the midwifery program reported higher stress and more frequent use of negative religious coping strategies.

CONCLUSIONS:
Midwifery students experience moderate levels of stress during clinical training. Positive religious coping may be a useful strategy for stress management. Educational interventions could focus on enhancing spiritual coping skills to promote student well-being.

KEY MESSAGE:
Religious coping, especially positive strategies, can help reduce clinical stress among midwifery students and should be considered in educational planning. Poster session 3 (Group B)