The relationship between fear of COVID-19, psychological well-being and life satisfaction in nursing students: A cross-sectional study

Özlem Tekir,Prabhat Mittal

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0264970

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to examine the relationship between fear of COVID-19, psychological well-being, and satisfaction with life in nursing students.MethodsA descriptive and cross-sectional design was used in this study. The study was carried out at a university Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Nursing between May 17 and June 25, 2021. The JASP 0.14.1. Software was used for statistical analysis. Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the comparison of three or more groups, Mann-Whitney U test was used for the comparisons of two groups, and Bonferroni-corrected Mann-Whitney U test was used for post hoc analysis. To determine the risk factors for "The Fear of COVID-19 Scale," linear regression analysis with backward stepwise modeling was used.ResultsThe mean score of the students was 18.48±6.87 from the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, 38.42±12.60 from the Psychological Well-Being Scale, and 13.12±4.97 from the Satisfaction with Life Scale. According to the results of the regression model established, independent variables explained 12.5% of the dependent variables, but the regression model established was found to be statistically significant. A one-unit increase in the satisfaction with life scale increased the fear of COVID-19 scale score by 0.224 units, and this increase was found statistically significant (p = 0.030) as a result of linear regression analysis used with backward stepwise modeling.ConclusionIn conclusion, it was found that the students’ fear of COVID-19 was below the medium level, their psychological well-being was above the medium level, and that their life satisfaction was below the medium level.

Highlights

The COVID-19 epidemic first appeared with the emergence of an unknown pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, the Hubei province of China on 31 December 2019 with a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and spread rapidly around the world, eventually leading to a global pandemic
The mean score of the students was 18.48±6.87 from the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, 38.42 ±12.60 from the Psychological Well-Being Scale, and 13.12±4.97 from the Satisfaction with Life Scale
Comparison of students’ mean scores from the fear of COVID-19, psychological well-being, and satisfaction with life scales according to some socio-demographic characteristics

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 epidemic first appeared with the emergence of an unknown pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, the Hubei province of China on 31 December 2019 with a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and spread rapidly around the world, eventually leading to a global pandemic. Because of the similarity between the emerging new virus and SARS-CoV, it was called SARS-CoV-2 [1, 2]. This infection was named COVID-19 by the WHO on February 11, 2020 and declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 [3]. Life satisfaction means how much the individual enjoys their life [5] and includes cognitive judgments about personal life as one of the complements of happiness and subjective wellbeing [6]. One of the segments of society where satisfaction with life is important and which reflect the perceptions and evaluations of the individual about their life include university students. University life is a period in which students experience their adult roles, prepare for working life, and idealize the values related to their lives more [8]

Methods

Results

Conclusion