Factors related to mental health effect among nursing students in Japan and the United States during the coronavirus pandemic: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

In the context of mental health, university students have been considered a vulnerable population. However, limited studies have underscored the association between preventive health behaviour levels and mental health effects among nursing students. The current cross‐sectional study provides a comparative analysis of the impact of mental health factors on nursing students in Japan and the United States (US) in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. The study consisted of 878 participants, comprising both undergraduate and graduate nursing students from four universities in Japan, and one from the US. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to analyse the participant data in this study. In contrast to the American students, the Japanese students demonstrated significantly lower levels of perceived control and significantly higher levels of preventive health behaviours. Furthermore, Japanese students exhibited significantly higher levels of stress and/or symptoms of depression induced by the social distancing orders compared to the American students ( z = −4.218, P < 0.001). However, no difference was observed after adjusting for perceived control, individual factors, socio‐economic factors, and preventive behaviours. During the pandemic, risk factors that can worsen mental health among the nursing students included younger age [odds ratio (95%CI) = 0.62 (0.48–0.81)], women [OR = 2.17 (1.02–4.61)], higher preventive health behaviour [OR = 1.05 (1.02–1.08)], lower perceived control [OR = 0.97 (0.94–0.99)], and lower perceived health competence [OR = 0.93 (0.90–0.96)]. Thus, this study recommends establishing training programmes that enhance perceived control and perceived health competence while encouraging preventive behaviour to support the mental health of nursing students, particularly young female students.

Daily stress, and mental health of professional degree graduate students in Chinese traditional medicine universities: the mediating role of learning career adaptation

“…It is suggested that educational managers should strengthen the self-esteem, and self-worth of professional degree graduate students, improve the acceptance of risk information to promote health behavior change, and pay close attention to their depression, anxiety, and other emotional changes. The outcomes of this study are similar to the results of Kondo’s study that Japanese students have a higher level of mental health compared with those in the United States [ 57 ]. Some studies have also found that graduate students have better mental health than undergraduates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 58 ].…”

Healthcare graduate students' perceived control and preventive behavior for COVID-19 in Japan and the United States: A cross-sectional study

“…In another study, we reported the factors related to mental health among both undergraduate and graduate nursing students in Japan and the United States; the results indicated that perceived control, not only at the individual level but also at the policy level, can buffer the mental health effects caused by preventive behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this study excluded international students due to the small number of international students in the nursing department ( 35 ). Therefore, we further collected data from medical and dental graduate students.…”

Comparing factors related to perceived control and preventive behaviors from COVID‐19 between Japanese and American nursing students: A cross‐sectional study

“…Moreover, they were more stressed/depressed because of social distancing and stay‐at‐home measures compared with their American counterparts. Lower levels of perceived control may be related to Japan's culture that is collectivistic and values networks, such as respecting others' wishes and feelings and conforming rather than individualism (Hornsey et al, 2019); therefore, it was considered that these Japanese cultural features could be related to the nursing students' more preventive behaviors and worsening mental health (Kondo et al, 2023). It is unknown, however, whether various levels of sociodemographic factors related to perceived control and preventive behaviors are different between Japanese and American nursing students.…”