PEER MENTORSHIP, WELLBEING AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF NURSING STUDENTS: A SINGLE-CENTER PROSPECTIVE STUDY IN AN EASTERN NIGERIA FEDERAL INSTITUTION

Background: Mentorship is widely recognised as a key strategy for supporting academic success and professional development in nursing education. In resource constrained settings, peer mentorship has emerged as a feasible alternative to faculty-led models, yet empirical evidence on its combined academic and psychological associations remains limited in Nigeria. Aim: This study examined the associations between a structured peer mentorship programme on psychological wellbeing (anxiety, depression, and stress) and academic performance among nursing students in a federal institution in eastern Nigeria. Results: Peer mentorship was associated with significantly improved academic performance, with the peer-mentored cohort achieving higher mean examination scores than previous non-mentored cohorts (p < .01). Psychological wellbeing outcomes were mixed. Although anxiety and depression scores showed slight, non significant reductions following the intervention, perceived stress levels increased significantly post-intervention (p = .013). Categorical analyses revealed no statistically significant changes in anxiety or depression severity, while a higher proportion of students reported stress levels predictive of psychological distress after mentorship.