Factors Influencing Senior Nursing Students’ COVID-19 Psychological Distress: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related knowledge, preventive behaviors, risk perception, nursing professional values, and COVID-19 psychological distress among nursing students, and to identify factors associated with senior nursing students’ COVID-19 psychological distress.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included fourth-year nursing students (n=183). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire between May and June 2022. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression analysis, using SPSS version 27.0 for Windows.Results: COVID-19 risk perception (β=.39, p<.001) had the strongest association with COVID-19-related psychological distress, followed by COVID-19 knowledge (β=.37, p<.001), major satisfaction (β=-.19, p=.004), and COVID-19 preventive behavior (β=-.16, p=.023). These variables accounted for approximately 27% of the variance in COVID-19-related psychological distress.Conclusion: Nursing educators should work to develop interventions to reduce nursing students’ COVID-19-related psychological distress and should consider COVID-19 knowledge, COVID-19 risk perception, and COVID-19 preventive behavior. Furthermore, plans should be developed to enhance students’ satisfaction with the nursing major by improving the clinical practicum suited to their needs.

Social distancing policy and mental health during COVID-19 pandemic: an 18-month longitudinal cohort study in South Korea

“… Jahanshahi et al (2020) translated the index into English, and later into Persian. The English version of the index was translated into Korean by researchers using the back-translation method ( Lee and Kim, 2023 ). The internal consistency of the CPDI is high (Cronbach’s α = 0.93) and its content validity has been verified by the psychiatrists at the Shanghai Mental Health Center ( Qiu et al, 2020 ).…”