Mental Health of Nursing Students amid Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global disaster, and recent studies have shown its association with increasing mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and stress. Nursing students, especially nursing interns, may be shunned, harassed, and even blamed as potential COVID-19 spreaders, though they were an important reserve force against COVID-19 and other diseases. Of note, the psychological influences of COVID-19 on nursing students remained unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mental health of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on nursing students in a vocational college from April 12 to 23, 2020. The Impact of Event Scale–Revised, 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to assess the degree of symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the potential risk factors for the psychological symptoms. A total of 1,780 college nursing students were asked to participate in this online survey, with 1,532 complete responses. In total, 682 (44.5%) college nursing students reported having PTSD, 358 (22.8%) students reported insomnia, and few students reported depression (n = 45, 2.9%), anxiety (n = 44, 2.9%), and stress (n = 17, 1.1%) symptoms. As compared with junior, female, and rural nursing students, the senior, male, and urban nursing students had higher rates of PTSD, depression, anxiety, stress, respectively, whereas male nursing students had a higher insomnia rate. Multivariable analysis showed that senior nursing students had higher risks of PTSD, depression, anxiety; being male was associated with higher risks of PTSD, depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia; and urban nursing students had higher risks of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress. In summary, a considerable number of nursing students reported mental symptoms of PTSD and insomnia, though few reported mental symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Furthermore, senior, male, and urban nursing students are at risk for developing mental symptoms. Appropriate psychological interventions should be implemented to assure the mental health of nursing students.

Predictors and correlates of Saudi nursing students' grit and positive thinking amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

“…COVID-19 pandemic stress threatens their wellness and safety ( Bekhet & Garnier-Villareal, 2018 ; Bekhet & Zauszniewski, 2013 ). As our findings indicate, it is more crucial than ever to explore the impact of COVID-19 on nurses' and nursing students' use of grit and positive thinking, as rates of nurse suicide and self-harm have increased during the pandemic ( Gao et al, 2021 ). Additionally, reports of stress, anxiety, and depression were reported among Saudi nursing students ( Alsolais et al, 2021 ) and non-Saudi nursing students ( Gao et al, 2021 ; Wynter et al, 2021 ).…”

Exploring the psychological impact of working during COVID-19 on medical and nursing students: a qualitative study

“…Current evidence is mostly limited to quantitative, cross-sectional methodologies,43 45–49 which fail to consider the multifactorial contexts in which psychological distress has manifested among medical and nursing students. There is an evident need for complementing qualitative research to understand student mental health experiences in greater depth 50.…”

Nursing Students’ Emotional State and Perceived Competence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Vital Role of Teacher and Peer Support

“…Likewise, the proportion of students longing for company with others (e.g., feeling excluded or isolated) has increased from 30% in 2018 to 54% in 2021 (Sivertsen, 2021). Studies on nursing students have reported similar results (Labrague et al, 2020;Gao et al, 2021;Miao et al, 2021;Patelarou et al, 2021).…”