The psychological impact of COVID-19 on undergraduate nursing students

Background: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic features a significant psychological impact on college students' mental well-being including worrying, stress, anxiety, and depression. Aim of study: This study was carried out to estimate anxiety prevalence rates and identify socio-demographic and personal predictors of anxiety among nursing students in Saudi Arabia's south region during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Two hundred students were selected as a convenient sample for a descriptive correlational design. Data were gathered using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Questionnaire. Results: Most findings of the study indicate that the overall mean GAD-7 anxiety score among the students was (6.12.88±5.14). Quite half of the studied sample (52.7%) showed different anxiety levels starting from mild to severe. The very best mean score of GAD-7 anxiety was found to be for item 3 “Worrying too much about different things” (1.12±1.0), while rock bottom was observed in item 5 “Being so restless that it is hard to sit still” (.63±.85). Conclusion: Long-lasting COVID-19 pandemic has negative impacts on students’ psychological health. The study results highlight the need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address and screen college students’ mental health for early detection and treatment. It is advised that during epidemics, college students' psychological health should be observed.