Fear of COVID‐19, poor quality of sleep, irritability, and intention to quit school among nursing students: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to assess the fear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and its influence on the students' fear of COVID‐19 and intention to leave nursing school. Design and Methods This study employed a cross‐sectional design using self‐report questionnaires distributed to 261 nursing students from the Philippines. Findings The first‐year nursing students are found to be the most fearful among the group. The students' fear of COVID‐19 is associated with their high irritability, poor sleep quality, and desire to quit nursing school. Practice Implications Students are perturbed by the pandemic and teachers should implement supportive, teaching–learning strategies to address the student's needs.

Are internship experiences during a pandemic related to students’ commitment to nursing education? A cross-sectional study

“…In regular periods, about 28% of Flemish nursing students occasionally considers leaving the nursing program ( Van Hoek et al, 2019 ). These findings seem to indicate that the CoViD-19 pandemic, although often perceived as challenge by students ( De Los Santos et al, 2021 ) does not coincide with a higher intent to leave the nursing education in the present sample. One could argue that might have to do with the fact that the societal and personal value of being a nurse was more clear during this pandemic.…”

“…This notably positive study commitment is encouraging to retain nursing students, and is also seen in a non-crisis related interview study by Clements et al (2016) , and a longitudinal study of ten Hoeve et al (2017) . Interview studies during the CoViD-19 pandemic specifically also reported high levels of commitment among final-year nursing students ( Gómez-Ibáñez et al, 2020 ).With 6%, the intention-to-leave was in line with the low levels reported in pandemic related studies ( De Los Santos et al, 2021 ; Nie et al, 2021 ), although relative low compared to regular periods. In regular periods, about 28% of Flemish nursing students occasionally considers leaving the nursing program ( Van Hoek et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Although the influx in the nursing education is sufficient in most countries ( WHO, 2020 ), there is a high drop-out rate among nursing students ( Urwin et al, 2010 ; Van Hoek et al, 2019 ). Some studies show that in the midst of the CoViD-19 pandemic, students reported the intention to quit nursing education ( Nie et al, 2021 ; De Los Santos et al, 2021 ). Since internships are both essential to acquire cognitive, reflective and affective nursing skills, as well as the most important factor in the retention of nursing students ( Crombie et al, 2013 ; Eick et al, 2012 ), it is vital to monitor how nursing students experience their internship during a healthcare crisis like CoViD-19, both in order to provide meaningful learning opportunities, as well as to retain students in nursing education.…”

“…First, there seems to be large heterogeneity in the motivation during challenging times like CoViD-19. Indeed, in the first disruptive weeks of CoViD-19, research has shown that some nursing students felt pressure to go into nursing practice, due to fear ( De Los Santos et al, 2021 ), whilst others were eager to step into nursing practice and felt of societal value ( Casafont et al, 2021 ). Second, ample research in the work context has shown the importance of motivation in the prediction of commitment and intention to leave (e.g., Gillet et al, 2013 ; Gagné et al, 2008 ), both for nurses in the beginning of their career ( Fernet et al, 2017 ) as well as for nursing students ( Rose, 2011 ).…”

“You Are Not Alone”–Opportunities and Challenges for University Students’ Collaborative Engagement When Dealing With Online Information About COVID-19

“…During the pandemic, students had to face several negative emotions such as feelings of loneliness, fear, and stress triggered by physical isolation during lockdowns, quarantines, or the measures implemented by governments (Wang et al, 2020;Awoke et al, 2021). A study at universities in the Philippines showed social and emotional support are important factors for reducing these negative feelings (De Los Santos et al, 2021).…”