The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic Knowledge Level of Students Studying in Health-Related Departments on Their Resilience and Mental Well-Being

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic knowledge level of students studying in health-related departments on their resilience and mental well-being. Materials and Methods: The population of this descriptive-cross-sectional design study consisted of students studying in health-related departments of two universities in Turkey. Since the students were under the quarantine, the data were collected between 15-25 March 2020 using an online questionnaire form created by the researchers, the Brief Resilience Scale, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Percentage, mean, standard deviation, Mann Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, and Spearman correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data. Results: It was found that the average age of the students was 20.0±1.87, 71.9% of them were female, and 62.8% were studying in an associate degree program. The mean scores of the students for the brief resilience scale and the mental well-being scale were 19.0±4.4 and 42.0±7.0 respectively. The students' mean knowledge level of COVID-19 disease was 26.5±3.5. A moderate positive correlation was seen between the brief resilience scale and mental well-being scale (p<0.05). A positive correlation was also determined between the knowledge level score of COVID-19 disease and the mean scores of resilience and mental well-being (p <0.05). Conclusion: It is thought that there is a significant relationship between the resilience scale and mental well-being scale of students who are in the quarantine process due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and negative psychological effects may occur as a result of the prolongation of the process. Considering the study results, it is suggested that state-supported psychological training should be given in the quarantine process.