Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Risk Factors Affecting BSU-CN Level I During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

First-year nursing students are more prone to psychological problems since they experience change as they adjust to college life amidst this COVID-19 pandemic. It is critical to understand better the first-year nursing students' anxiety and concerns to help them address their problems. This study determined the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress and assessed the economic condition, time management, online learning distractions, and support system of the first-year nursing students that affected their psychological well-being at Benguet State University during this COVID-19 pandemic. This research utilized a descriptive-correlational approach. One hundred nineteen first-year nursing students were randomly selected. Informed consent and letters were provided before giving the survey questionnaires using Google forms. The statistical tools used were the Weighted Mean and Pearson Correlation Coefficient to analyze the data. Anxiety has the highest prevalence, with 92% of the respondents. Risk factors had an overall weighted mean of 2.80. Online learning distraction has a significant correlation with depression, anxiety, and stress, with r = 0.249, r = 0.316, and r = 0.259 correspondingly. Overall, the study showed a high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among the Level I students in the College of Nursing. Economic conditions, time management, online learning distractions, and support systems influenced the respondents' psychological well-being. It is recommended for future research to provide a more in-depth analysis of the challenges faced by students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are also encouraged to repeat the study with other year levels as their respondents to have comparable data. Information education campaigns and proper referrals for the respondents should be conducted.