Abstract
Mental Health has been declining over the last three years, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. A person’s support system can either improve or worsen their mental health. Nursing students likely have been severely impacted by COVID-19 and their support system may impact their mental health. This study used the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Social Support Scale to measure the effects of a positive and negative social support system on undergraduate nursing students at a university in the Western United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics and correlations were used to examine the relationships between stress, anxiety, and depression and support systems among undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected from students prior to the start of their program through two pre-course surveys, including the DASS-21 symptom measure and a 11-item Social Support Scale. Both surveys had established reliability and validity. Results showed that 17.8% of participants scored with severe or extremely severe anxiety, 6.6% with severe or extremely severe depression and 6.7% with severe or extremely severe stress. The average score for instrumental support was M = 4.22 (SD = 0.72), positive support was M = 4.29 (SD = 0.73) and negative support was M = 3.96 (SD = 0.87). The correlational analyses support a significant relationship between negative support and stress (r = .26). The results indicate that nursing students had a strong positive and instrumental support system in place. The results also show a low number of students reporting negative social support. However, the significant correlation between negative social support and stress indicates the harmful effects of a negative support system on a student’s mental health when it did occur. These results help us to further understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the mental health of undergraduate nursing students.
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