Malverne teen conducts study on managing stress

Malvernite Fiona Marren said that she long dreamed of becoming a nurse. But Marren, 17, a senior at Sacred Heart Academy, knew that nurses deal with stressful situations on a regular basis. So for her science research class, she studied how nursing students deal with stress, and the role that optimism plays as a coping method.

“Nursing and education can be a very stressful environment,” Marren said. “I hope that through this study, people can kind of see and investigate that there are different ways to cope with this.”

She started researching the subject about two years ago, she said. She and her teacher, Dr. Stephen Sullivan, conducted a study on nursing students at Molloy College to find out how they manage stress.

“The premise is that optimism is an excellent coping tool if the problem that you’re dealing with is a controllable problem,” Sullivan explained. “If it’s a problem that’s out of your control, being optimistic will actually make it more difficult for you to cope with that problem, because it will make you think you can fix the problem rather than allowing you to move on, accept it and deal with the consequences.”

Marren is one of 11 SHA students who were invited to present her research at the Association of Psychological Science’s annual conference next month. But the conference, scheduled to take place in Chicago May 21-23, was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The APS plans to hold a virtual conference instead, during which students will present their research.

“Fiona Marren is certainly one of these young women whose motivation and abilities stretch beyond the academic to include a deep caring for the social, emotional, moral, spiritual and political arenas in life,” said Sister Jean Amore, SHA’s principal. “Her research topic reflects her well-rounded and broad interests and concerns.”

Only about 50 pre-collegiate researchers have been asked to present original work in the 32 years that the APS has held an annual conference. “It was really kind of a shock to me,” Marren said. “I was just so surprised and happy that all my hard work paid off.”

To help her find a college where she could conduct her study, Sullivan contacted Sacred Heart alum Dr. Denise Walsh, the dean of health professions and learning at LIU Post. Walsh had colleagues at Molloy’s nursing program, and she connected Marren to the professors there. Marren worked online with 99 nursing and education students at Molloy. Each participant was randomly assigned to a “controllable” or “uncontrollable” stressor condition, and Marren analyzed what each student experienced throughout the school year.

Walsh she was impressed to see a high school student take on a subject that dealt with stress. “There were multiple stages to this project, and to watch her grow through each of these phases was really refreshing,” Walsh said. “It’s really a reflection of Sacred Heart and the education they provide. It’s a great feeling as an educator to work with a young woman who’s so talented, and to see someone like this really excel.”

Marren worked closely with Dr. Geraldine Moore, faculty moderator for the Molloy Nursing Student Association. What stood out about Marren, Moore said, was her tenacity. “If she sent something and I suggested a change, it was done immediately,” Moore recalled. “It was really exciting to work with somebody like that, because you don’t always get that kind of passion in understanding the importance of research and how to go about that process.”

Marren said she had also hoped to conduct a similar study with high school students, but the pandemic put a halt to that. Instead, Marren, who will study nursing at Boston College this fall, will pass her study on to any another Sacred Heart student who is interested in the subject and will continue the research.

Marren credited Sullivan for helping her complete the final stages of her project remotely. “He made himself available to talk and answer my questions during all hours of the day, and he was always willing to help,” Marren said. “Staying in contact and constant communication was a big help during this pandemic.”

“To have her, and the rest of my students, continuing to work this hard and continuing to keep up with their work . . . it was remarkable,” Sullivan said.

Amid the pandemic, many of the educators Marren worked with agreed that her research could support people during this troubling time. “Anything right now that will help people deal with the stress and anxiety that they’re going through is definitely needed,” Walsh said. “When everyone can understand the basis of these challenges for people, then you can come up with a way to help them. To be able to acknowledge stress and find ways to deal with it is so important.”