Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused an outbreak of acute infectious disease, which spread very rapidly in China and many other countries Reference Wu, Yu and Wu1,Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2 and reached Turkey in a short time. Because of the coronavirus, the country was exposed to many things that it had not experienced in the recent past. Based on the number of reported cases, Turkey had the fourth highest number of reported cases as of February 21-27, 2022. 3 The outbreak brought not only the risk of death from a viral infection, but also at the same time exposed the people of China and the rest of the world to unbearable psychological pressure.
The COVID-19 outbreak and the pandemic conditions resulted in worry, fear, and many psychological problems. Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Ahorsu, Lin and Imani4–Reference Köktürk Dalcalı, Durgun and Taş6 Both in this country Reference Köktürk Dalcalı, Durgun and Taş6–Reference Bahçecioğlu Turan, Özer and Çiftçi9 and in other countries, Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Blanc, Briggs and Seixas5,Reference Jungmann and Witthöft10 people’s health anxiety levels rose during the current COVID-19 outbreak, and this caused signs of general anxiety to appear. Health anxiety is a psychological experience arising from the belief that an individual is under a great health threat, triggering physical and mental symptoms of anxiety. Reference Özdelikara, Ağaçdiken Alkan and Mumcu11
Resilient individuals have a tendency to maintain a stable psychological condition. Psychological resilience is defined by the APA as “a good process of accommodation to distress, trauma, tragedy, threats, or other significant sources of stress (family and relation problems, serious health, or financial problems).” Reference Wu, Yu and Wu1 If an individual’s communication skills are stable and flexible, there will be no long-term symptom activation, but rather they will quickly recover from a stressful life event. On the other hand, individuals who are not resilient are more prone to developing a psychological disorder such as trait anxiety after a stressful life experience. Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Blanc, Briggs and Seixas5 Psychological resilience has emerged as a basic variable in the reduction and prevention of the negative psychological effects of the pandemic. Reference Blanc, Briggs and Seixas5,Reference Asghar, Arif and Barbera12
In Turkey, the social isolation, lockdowns, and quarantines during the pandemic led to various changes in individual and social life. Social life was and still is affected physically, medically, socially, psychologically, professionally, economically, politically, and morally. Reference Yanık and Yesilçınar13 Quarantine and infectious diseases are an important source of stress, which can have negative effects on the general psychological health of students. Videos on COVID-19 shared on the Internet, news on the media, and relatives who become seriously ill or lose their lives can cause high levels of stress, worry, and fear. These have had a negative effect on the quality of students’ lives and on their education. Reference Köktürk Dalcalı, Durgun and Taş6,Reference Asghar, Arif and Barbera12,Reference Yalçın, Can and Mançe Çalışır14 Universities all over the world moved from face-to-face education to teaching online during the COVID-19 quarantine. This change has increased social isolation and has caused psychological problems such as anxiety, stress, and depression in university students. Reference Asghar, Arif and Barbera12
In Turkey, the students who had the greatest problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they were unable to perform practical work and work experience in health institutions, were students of nursing departments. Not only did the pandemic itself cause stress and anxiety in nursing students, but also the situation was made worse by the education process. It was seen that conducting lessons and exams on a web-based distance learning system caused anxiety in students. Reference Kürtüncü and Kurt15 In the literature, it is also stated that psychological resilience has an important role in the reduction of anxiety. Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Blanc, Briggs and Seixas5 In order for nursing students to achieve professional change and development and to carry out their duties in the best way possible, their psychological resilience must be increased. In doing this, it is important to determine the factors involved, and, for this reason, human psychological reactions during the pandemic should be researched.
No studies were found in the literature researching the effect of levels of health anxiety and psychological resilience in nursing students during the current COVID-19 pandemic and the affecting factors. This study was conducted at the beginning of February 2022, when the number of COVID-19 cases was still rising in Turkey, and, as in many other countries, university students were being taught face-to-face and/or online, when lockdown restrictions were being lifted and social meeting places continued to operate, and when most people had received at least 2 COVID-19 vaccinations. The study can provide critically important information for policy-makers in the Higher Education Council and university managements to understand the effect of COVID-19 on the relation between nursing students’ anxiety concerning infectious disease and their psychological resilience. In this way, the study can contribute to deciding on the measures to be taken by universities to protect students’ mental health in the present outbreak or in future outbreaks of disease.
In line with this information, the aim of this study was to determine health anxiety and psychological resilience and to investigate the relationship between health anxiety and psychological resilience among nursing students in Turkey in the last period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research Questions
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Is there a relationship between nursing students’ health anxiety and psychological resilience?
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What are the factors affecting nursing students’ health anxiety?
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What are the factors affecting nursing students’ psychological resilience?
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What are the variables predicting nursing students’ psychological resilience?
Methods
Design and Participants
This study was a descriptive and cross-sectional survey carried out between February and April 2022 in the last period of the COVID-19 pandemic with nursing students in a university in a city in the west of Turkey. The population of the study consisted of the nursing students (N = 850) who were studying in the Nursing Department of the Health Sciences Faculty. The sample of students was selected randomly by the multiclustered stratified sampling method. The formula n = N.t2.p.q/d.(N-1) + t².p.q was used to determine the size of the sample, where N is the population size, P is the probability of occurrence, q = 1–p, and d is the effect size. Reference Sümbüloğlu and Sümbüloğlu16 The minimum size of the sample was determined to be 265. The criteria for inclusion in the study were (1) being a student in the nursing department where the study was conducted, (2) attending face-to-face education in the faculty, and (3) being willing to participate in the study. The criteria for exclusion from the study were (1) attending online education in the faculty and (2) not being willing to participate in the study. The sample consisted of 507 nursing students.
Data Collection and Instruments
The questionnaires used in the study were a Student Nurse Information Form, the Health Anxiety Inventory, and the Resilience Scale for Adults. The questionnaires were prepared on Google Forms by the researchers, and the link of the forms was shared with the students face to face in the classroom before lesson time. The form links were checked by the researchers after questions had been answered. It took approximately 15 minutes to complete the questionnaires.
Student Nurse Information Form
This form was prepared by the researchers after an examination of the relevant literature Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Blanc, Briggs and Seixas5,Reference Kürtüncü and Kurt15 and consisted of 14 questions, including sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, marital status, classroom level, income level, family type, etc.), measures taken against the COVID-19 pandemic and perception of health (regard for perceived health, social support systems, etc.).
Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI)
The Health Anxiety Inventory was developed by Salkovskis et al. (2002), and the validity and reliability of the Turkish version were tested by Aydemir et al. (2013). It is a self-reporting scale consisting of 18 items. Reference Aydemir, Kirpinar and Sati17 Fourteen of the items on the scale consist of statements containing 4-way ordered responses asking about the individual’s mental state. The remaining 4 questions ask about existing serious health conditions in the individuals. Each item on the scale is scored from 0 to 3, and the total score of the scale consists of the arithmetic total of the score of each item. The total score is between 0 and 54. High scores obtained on the scale give information on the level of worry of individuals concerning their health. These worries mostly include excessive sensitivity to an individual’s bodily symptoms and thoughts concerning the negative outcomes of a possible disease to the extent of anxiety. According to reliability analysis of the HAI, the Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient was 0.92. Reference Aydemir, Kirpinar and Sati17 In the present study, the Cronbach’s alpha value was found to be 0.83.
Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA)
This scale was developed by Friborg et al. (2003) and consists of 33 items in the 6 subscales of perception of self, perception of the future, social competence, family coherence, social support, and structural style. Reference Basım and Çetin18 The validity and reliability of the Turkish scale was tested by Basım and Çetin (2011). Reference Basım and Çetin18 On the scale, structural style and perception of the future are each measured with 4 items, family coherence, perception of self, and social competence with 6 items, and social support with 7 items. The scale is arranged in 5-way Likert form. Some of the items on the scale (1, 3, 4, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 23, 24, 25, 27, 31, and 33) are scored in reverse. Reference Basım and Çetin18 An increase in the mean score on the scale is interpreted as an increase in psychological resilience, and a low score as low resilience. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the reliability of the scale was found to be 0.86. Reference Basım and Çetin18 In the present study, the Cronbach’s alpha value was found to be 0.87.
Data Analysis
Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). Descriptive statistics (numbers, percentage distribution, mean, and standard deviation) were used to describe the nursing students’ sociodemographic characteristics and other variables. Independent t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and Kruskal–Wallis analysis were used to assess associations between scale scores and the variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the factors contributing to psychological resilience. The level of significance was set at 0.05.
Ethical Standards
Ethical approval for conducting this study was obtained from the management of the Health Sciences Faculty of the university and the ethics committee of the university’s Medical Faculty (approval date, December 8, 2021; No.: 20.478.486-1098). An informed consent statement was attached to the front part of the questionnaire and was obtained from all the nursing students at the beginning of the online questionnaire. The information included the purpose and procedures of the study, the voluntary nature of their participation, and the option to withdraw at any time. After that, informed written consent was obtained from the nursing students voluntarily taking part in the study. The online survey tools were collected with respect for students’ privacy and anonymity. The study procedures were in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration.
Results
Sociodemographic Characteristics of the Nursing Students
The mean age of the students was 20.70 ± 1.77 years, ranging from 18 to 33 years. The sample included 78.7% females, of whom 30.4% were first-year nursing students. Also, 82.8% of the students had a nuclear family and 43.4% had a good family relationship (Table 1). It was found that 22.9% of the students had had COVID-19, and that 20.9% had lost a relative to COVID-19. Other sociodemographic characteristics of the students are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Mean scores of health anxiety, psychological resilience by the students’ characteristics
M, mean; SD, standard deviation; x2, Kruskal-Wallis test; t, Independent t-test; F, Mann–Whitney U test, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.
Regarding social support, 89.7% of the students said that it came from their families, and 57.6% credited their friends (Figure 1). Activities that the students said they liked when they were at home included being with family (63.3%), self-care (68%), and using social media (29%) (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Social supports of students.
Figure 2. Students’ the best activities for them in the process of staying at home.
Factors Affecting Nursing Students’ Health Anxiety and Psychological Resilience
The students’ total score on the HAI ranged from 19 to 63, and the mean score was 36.19 ± 6.55. Their total scores on the RSA ranged from 66 to 161, with a mean of 117.13 ± 16.00, 13.97 ± 3.18 (min. = 4, max. = 20) from the subscale of structured style, 13.88 ± 3.26 (min. = 4, max. = 20) from perception of future, 21.86 ± 4.38 (min. = 9, max. = 30) from family cohesion, 20.24 ± 4.27 (min. = 7, max. = 29) from perception of self, 20.39 ± 4.09 (min. = 9, max. = 30) from social competence, and 26.79 ± 4.47 (min. = 11, max. = 35) from social resources.
Female students scored significantly higher than male students on the HAI (t = 4.028, P < 0.001). Students who had a bad family relationship scored significantly higher on the HAI than those who had a good family relationship (x2 = 30.822, P < 0.001). The HAI score of students who lived in a student dormitory with friends was higher than that of those who lived in a house with friends (x2 = 14.899, P = 0.002). The HAI scores of students who thought that they had bad or moderate physical health were higher than the scores of those with good or very good physical health (x2 = 51.740, P < 0.001). The HAI scores of those who thought they had bad or moderate psychological health were higher than the scores of those who thought they had good psychological health (F = 31.160, P < 0.001). The HAI scores of those with a moderate level of friendship were higher than the scores of those with good or very good level of friendship (x2 = 14.235, P = 0.003). The HAI scores of those who were unable to cope with their problems were higher than the scores of those who coped (t = 5.196, P < 0.001).There was no significant difference between year of study, family type, income level, having a disease, smoking, having COVID-19, or having lost a relative to COVID-19 and the HAI score (P > 0.005; see Table 1).
Students with an extended family scored significantly higher on the RSA than those with a nuclear or fragmented family (F = 7.459, P = 0.001). Students who had a very good or good family relationship scored significantly higher on the RSA than those who had a bad family relationship (x2 = 89.268, P < 0.001). The RSA scores of students with a low or moderate income were higher than the scores of those who had a high income (F = 5.932, P = 0.003). The RSA scores of those who lived at home with their families were higher than the scores of those who lived in a dormitory with friends (x2 = 8.263, P = 0.041). The RSA scores of those who thought that they had very good physical health were higher than the scores of those who thought that they had bad or moderate physical health (x2 = 33.837, P < 0.001). The RSA scores of those who thought that they had good psychological health were higher than the scores of those who thought that their psychological health was bad (F = 43.120, P < 0.001). The RSA scores of those who had good or very good friendships were higher than the scores of those who had bad friendships (x2 = 95.961, P < 0.001). The RSA scores of those who coped with their problems effectively were higher than the scores of those who could not cope (t = 10.010, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between gender, having a disease, smoking, having COVID-19, or having lost a relative to COVID-19 and the RSA score (P > 0.005; see Table 1).
Relationship Between Nursing Students’ Health Anxiety and Psychological Resilience and Predictors of Psychological Resilience
There was a relationship between the HAI mean score and the RSA mean score of the nursing students (r = −0.207, P < 0.001, Table 2).
Table 2. Correlations between health anxiety, psychological resilience, and their subscales
*P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, *** P < 0.001, r, Pearson’s product-moment correlation.
Table 3 presents the multiple regression result for the relationship between resilience and the independent variables. The model showed a significant association between the independent variables and resilience (F = 31.636, P < 0.001). Family type (β = 0.113, P < 0.01), family relationship (β = 0.247, P < 0.001), psychological health (β = 0.120, P < 0.01), relationship with friends (β = 0.235, P < 0.001), and effective coping with problems (β = 0.205, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with resilience. There was no significant interaction between the RSA and students’ anxiety, income, the people they lived with, and physical health (P > 0.05).
Table 3. Regression model predicting nursing students’ resilience (n = 507)
*P < 0.01, **P < 0.001.
Discussion
Recently, such factors as social isolation and economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19 have led to an increase in mental health concerns such as loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Ahorsu, Lin and Imani4,Reference Blanc, Briggs and Seixas5 The concept of psychological resilience, which explains how individuals react to mental health worries like these, has begun to attract greater attention from researchers.
Factors Affecting Nursing Students’ Health Anxiety and Psychological Resilience
Health anxiety
In a study by Saeed et al. (2022) with a population of 755 180, it was found that in the COVID-19 pandemic, university students (34.7%) had the second highest prevalence of anxiety. Reference Saeed, Eslami and Nassif19 In this way we can see that university students, the professionals of the future, experience mental distress. Consistent with previous studies, Reference Özdin and Bayrak Özdin7,Reference Luceño-Moreno, Talavera-Velasco, García-Albuerne and Martín-García20 female students have higher levels of anxiety than male students. This may be because the prevalence of emotional disorders is more prevalent in females than in males, and in this study the number of female students was greater. Reference Gao, Ping and Liu21–Reference Özdemir, Özyürek and Kılıç23 In the study, health anxiety was greater in students whose relationship with their family was poor, whose relationship with their friends was poor, who lived in a dormitory with friends, who stated that their physical and mental health was poor, and who could not cope with their problems. Consistent with this, it was found in previous studies that mental health during the pandemic was higher in individuals who had a poor relationship with their families, Reference Crandall, Daines, Hanson and Barnes24–Reference Cao, Wang and Fang27 who had a poor relationship with their friends, Reference Ma, Zhao and Li28,Reference Rogers, Ha and Ockey29 who lived in a dormitory with friends, Reference Saeed, Eslami and Nassif19,Reference Kurcer, Erdogan and Cakir Kardes30,Reference Pooyanmehr and Asgari31 who had a physical or chronic illness, Reference Kurcer, Erdogan and Cakir Kardes30–Reference Kazan Kızılkurt, Yılmaz, Noyan and Dilbaz32 whose mental health was poor or who currently had or had previously had a psychiatric illness, Reference Özdin and Bayrak Özdin7,Reference Saeed, Eslami and Nassif19,Reference Kazan Kızılkurt, Yılmaz, Noyan and Dilbaz32–Reference Wang and Zhao34 and who could not cope with their problems. Reference Achour, Souici and Bensaid35,Reference Zhao36 A student’s poor relationships with their family and friends show that their social support is not good, and, in this way, their health anxiety increases. Reference Muyor-Rodríguez, Caravaca-Sánchez and Fernández-Prados37 Students living in a dormitory show more signs of anxiety than those not living in a dormitory; the financial difficulties of living on campus without working to provide for themselves leave many university students defenseless against mental problems. Reference Luceño-Moreno, Talavera-Velasco, García-Albuerne and Martín-García20 Also, because students living in a dormitory live in more crowded conditions than those who live in a house or with their families, their likelihood of catching an infectious disease like COVID-19 is greater. Since the risk of contracting infectious diseases increases due to the high number of students in a dormitory room and the numbers of people in common areas (4-6), it is recommended to take the necessary precautions, such as reducing the number of people and improving cleaning conditions.
Psychological resilience
In the study, gender was not found to be a factor affecting the psychological resilience of students. In China, it was found that gender did not affect the psychological resilience of university students Reference Wu, Yu and Wu1 and health workers. Reference Rayani, Rayani and Najafi-Sharjabad38 In Chinese society, the psychological resilience of females has been found to be lower than that of males, Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2 and similarly in Turkey it has been found to be lower in female nursing students than in males. Reference Özdemir, Özyürek and Kılıç23,Reference Apaydın Cırık, Aksoy and Gül39 Because most of these studies were performed in different population groups, different results were obtained because of the different gender roles in different cultures. As the Apaydın et al. Reference Apaydın Cırık, Aksoy and Gül39 (2021) study was conducted during the pandemic, the difference in the psychological resilience between men and women is more apparent. Since our study was conducted at the last period of the pandemic, it was assumed that psychological resilience improved in both genders during the pandemic period.
In the study, psychological resilience was greater in students who had an extended family, whose income level was low, who had very good relationships with their families, who lived with their families, whose relationships with their friends were very good, who stated that their physical and mental health was good, and who were able to cope with their problems effectively. It is thought that low-income students have high psychological resilience to cope with these difficulties because they grow up without many opportunities and have various economic difficulties in their lives. In the regression analysis to determine the predictive variables relating to psychological resilience, psychological resilience was found to be higher in students who had an extended family, who had very good relationships with their family and friends, whose mental health was good, and who were able to cope with their problems.
Similar to most previous studies, psychological resilience during the pandemic was greater in individuals who had an extended family, Reference Arslan, Karabekiroglu, Terzi and Dundar40,Reference Kimter41 whose income level was high, Reference Kimter41–Reference Yörük, Acikgoz and Güler44 whose relationships with their families were very good, Reference Kılınç and Sis Çelik43,Reference Ye, Yang and Zeng45,Reference Bozdağ and Ergün46 who lived with their families, Reference Arslan, Karabekiroglu, Terzi and Dundar40,Reference Kılınç and Sis Çelik43,Reference Song, Yang and Yang47 whose relationships with their friends were very good, Reference Yalçın, Can and Mançe Çalışır14,Reference Kılınç and Sis Çelik43,Reference Ye, Yang and Zeng45,Reference Bozdağ and Ergün46,Reference Park, Finkelstein-Fox and Russell48,Reference Pauly, Ribeiro and Schröder49 who did not have a physical or chronic illness Reference Kimter41,Reference Yörük, Acikgoz and Güler44 and whose mental health was good or who did not currently have and had not previously had a psychiatric disorder, Reference Yalçın, Can and Mançe Çalışır14,Reference Apaydın Cırık, Aksoy and Gül39,Reference Chan, Piehler and Ho50 and who could cope with their problems. Reference Yanık and Yesilçınar13,Reference Song, Yang and Yang47,Reference Park, Finkelstein-Fox and Russell48 It was found in a study by Wu et al. Reference Wu, Yu and Wu1 (2020) that, in studies conducted with university and high school students, developing the psychological resilience of students could cushion negative feelings of stress, contribute to success in academic performance and to coping with stressful events, and improve feelings of well-being. This emphasizes the importance of individuals’ coping skills and coping strategies, which are the 2 most important concepts at the base of psychological resilience. Reference Apaydın Cırık, Aksoy and Gül39,Reference Kimter41 Having an extended family and having good relationships with family and friends are important variables for social support. Therefore, the variables of social support, mental well-being, and the ability to cope effectively with problems, which protect an individual from stressful life events, are seen as the most important factors affecting psychological resilience.
Relationship Between the Nursing Students’ Health Anxiety and Psychological Resilience
It was found in the results of this study that the health anxiety of nursing students was at a medium level, and their psychological resilience was at a medium or high level. On the other hand, it is seen in studies conducted at times when the negative effects of the pandemic in society were greater that the COVID-19 pandemic increased the health anxiety of nursing students Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Blanc, Briggs and Seixas5–Reference Jungmann and Witthöft10 and reduced their psychological resilience levels. Reference Asghar, Arif and Barbera12,Reference Killgore, Taylor, Cloonan and Dailey51,Reference Li and Hasson52 The data of this study were collected in the final stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, and so it was seen that the students’ health anxiety levels were not very high, and at the same time their psychological resilience was better, because most of the students were receiving face-to-face education at school, lockdown restrictions had been lifted, social meeting places were functioning, and most of the students had received at least 2 doses of vaccination.
Previous studies have examined the relationship between resilience and anxiety in general populations, Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Ran, Wang and Ai53 health personnel, Reference Saeed, Eslami and Nassif19,Reference Rayani, Rayani and Najafi-Sharjabad38,Reference Heath, Sommerfield and von Ungern-Sternberg54 and university students Reference Yalçın, Can and Mançe Çalışır14,Reference Muyor-Rodríguez, Caravaca-Sánchez and Fernández-Prados37 in different countries. However, the relationship between resilience and health anxiety among nursing students has not so far been examined in the literature. Therefore, the relation between the health anxiety and psychological resilience of Turkish nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic was examined as a contribution to the literature. A weak negative correlation was found in this research between the nursing students’ psychological resilience and their health anxiety. It shows that there is a causative relationship between the students’ anxiety and psychological resilience. The findings obtained in the abovementioned studies, similar to the findings of our study, show that there is a negative correlation between psychological resilience and symptoms of depression and anxiety, Reference Xiao, Xiao and Yao2,Reference Yalçın, Can and Mançe Çalışır14,Reference Saeed, Eslami and Nassif19,Reference Rayani, Rayani and Najafi-Sharjabad38,Reference Ran, Wang and Ai53,Reference Heath, Sommerfield and von Ungern-Sternberg54 and that psychological resilience, as a potential skill of self-preservation, helps people cope with upheavals and save themselves from crises. Reference Yalçın, Can and Mançe Çalışır14 While students are facing up to all the difficulties brought on by the pandemic with psychological resilience, at the same time, their health anxiety regarding the pandemic is reduced. Thus, the students’ psychological resilience can be seen as a resource to cope with feelings of anxiety concerning the pandemic, or as a protective factor. Reference Yalçın, Can and Mançe Çalışır14,Reference Saeed, Eslami and Nassif19,Reference Song, Yang and Yang47
Implications for Nursing Practice
It was seen from the results of our research that social support and psychological care services need to be implemented for university students to cope with the pandemic. A crisis plan can be prepared beforehand, which can be implemented quickly and effectively by the nursing administration of the Ministry of Health and the management of the university or faculty. Also, topics such as developing strategies to cope with stress or in a crisis situation should be integrated into the nursing curriculum. In situations such as the COVID-19 outbreak, support mechanisms for university students will reduce the effects of the pandemic to a minimum and should be implemented under a biopsychosocial model in order to preserve their resilience and well-being. Collaborative dialog with students, the reflection method, and teaching methods that provide solidarity between members of university communities can be used.
Limitations
There are several limitations to this study. First, all the instruments used depend on self-evaluation questionnaires given online. Second, the study was conducted in 1 department of a single faculty of a university in Turkey, and the number of participants was lower than in studies in other countries. Therefore, the results are inadequate for a potential generalization. Finally, our findings showed how anxiety and psychological resilience were occurring in nursing students, but since then the vaccine has come into use and this situation may have changed.
Conclusions
The nursing students’ health anxiety was at a medium level, and their psychological resilience was between medium and high. As students’ psychological resilience increased, their health anxiety decreased. Psychological resilience was higher in students who had an extended family, who had very good relationships with family and friends, whose mental health was good, and who were able to cope with their problems.
Data availability statement
The data sets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
