Anxiety and Stress Levels Associated With COVID-19 Pandemic of University Students in Turkey: A Year After the Pandemic

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 has been affecting the daily lives of almost everyone and puts huge psychological pressure on people worldwide, including Turkey. Anxiety and stress levels among university students were already a public health concern. Our study aims to demonstrate the anxiety and stress levels of university students in Turkey after the outbreak of COVID-19 according to the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) and COVID Stress Scale (CSS). CAS is a brief mental health screener to identify probable cases of dysfunctional anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and CSS was developed to understand and assess COVID-19-related distress. An online questionnaire was administered to active 1,265 university students in Turkey between February 27 and March 8, 2021, via Google forms. The questionnaire consists of three parts that assess participants' demographic information, anxiety, and stress levels related to the pandemic. According to CAS and CSS analysis, anxiety and stress levels were associated with each other and influenced university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both were associated with gender and family member loss. The academic year of students had a relationship with anxiety. It was observed that the danger factor was the highest stressor in university students in Turkey related to the novel coronavirus, followed by contamination fears. Both factors were shown as moderate stressors. As a result of the study, it was revealed that anxiety and stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are now included in the social, academic, and physical burdens of the university years, which are decisive and important in terms of mental development and psychological health of the person. It is essential to ascertain the long-term effects of COVID-19 and take effective precautions to support the physical and mental health of today's university students accordingly.

Pharmacy Students’ Mental Health and Resilience in COVID-19: An Assessment after One Year of Online Education

“…Regarding health stressors, COVID-19 and feelings of isolation due to the infection were clear. In a study from Turkey, it was observed that the danger of infection was the highest stressor among university students assessed during the pandemic [ 69 ]. Although our study did not rate the economic, educational and health stressors for students, feelings of isolation due to the pandemic correlated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in the DASS-21 scale, making that a major health stressor that needs to be addressed, should mental health support be given to students.…”

Cyberchondria and COVID-19 anxiety and internet addiction among nursing students

“…In addition, there has been an increase in problematic internet use among nursing students during the pandemic period (Cai et al, 2021 ; Shehata & Abdeldaim, 2021 ). Many studies are showing that anxiety levels and social media addictions increased in university students during the pandemic period in Turkey (Durbas et al, 2021 ; Örgev & Kınalı, 2022 ; Parlak Sert & Başkale, 2022 ). In a study conducted on health sciences students during the pandemic period, health anxiety and cyberchondria levels were found to be higher in those who have not had COVID-19 before (Kurcer et al, 2022 ).…”

Association between Negatively Impacted Wellbeing and Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Numerous people have lost a loved one due to COVID-19 and have lived with the fear that such a tragedy might reoccur. Such experiences and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic create great stress and anxiety [6]. Additionally, poor sleep quality has been reported globally with an increase in sleep disturbances, along with a concomitant dependence on sleep medication [7].…”