Determining University Students' Anxiety and Problem Solving Skills in the COVID-19 Pandemic Process

Abstract

Objective: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted to assess the problem-solving skills and anxiety levels of all students who agreed to participate in the study at the vocational school of health services. Methods: The population of the study included 1800 students from all departments of the 2021-2022 academic year health services vocational school at a state university in Konya, and the sample included 356 students who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study and provided informed consent. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, one-way analysis of variance Kruskal-Wallis H, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data. Results: When the total mean scores of the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) were compared based on the variables of gender, department of education, class, childhood location, income level, family type, and status of receiving problem-solving education, no statistical significance was found. The mean approach PSI score of those with chronic diseases, on the other hand, showed a statistically significant difference. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) score was found to be statistically significantly higher in smokers, those with chronic diseases, and those with low income (p-value<0.05). Conclusion: It is important to plan initiatives and, if necessary, revise curricula to improve the problem-solving and anxiety-management abilities of future healthcare professionals.