Determination of Anxiety Level and Psychological Well-being of Undergraduate Nursing Students during COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought further attention to the importance of psychological wellness in the human population, as an essential domain in our general well-being.

Aim: This study investigates the anxiety levels and psychological well-being of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 206 undergraduate nursing students. The questionnaire including demographic information, Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, and WHO-5 Well-being Index was applied. Data were collected using the Google Surveys application in May 2021. Mann–Whitney-U, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and Pearson correlation analysis were used in the analysis of the data.

Results: The majority of students were female (53.4%) and in the 23–25 years age group (48.1%). The mean coronavirus anxiety score of the students was 3.21 ± 3.09, while the mean WHO-5 well-being score of the students was 11.49 ± 4.51. A moderate and negative correlation was found between the anxiety level and the psychological well-being of nursing students.

Conclusion: Nursing students had no dysfunctional coronavirus anxiety. Due to the suboptimal psychological well-being of the students, nursing students were at risk for depression. The findings of this study provide information to lecturers and administrators related to nursing students’ anxiety and psychological well-being in the pandemic.