Nursing Students� Protective Behaviors towards COVID-19, their Perception of Information, and the Psychological Effects in the Early Stages of the Pandemic

Dokuz Eyl�l University, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Public Health Nursing, Izmir, Turkey

Aim: The pandemic has psychological effects on all people and the risk of death due to COVID-19. Future nurses are expected to be as prepared as possible for public health emergencies such as the pandemic. This study was conducted to determine nursing students� protective behaviors from COVID-19 and the psychological effects of the pandemic.
Method: A descriptive and cross-sectional design was used in this study. The sample of the study consisted of 685 nursing students in Turkey.
Results: The students followed the news about COVID-19 on social media and TV, and their perception of information was moderate. The anxiety levels of female students were higher, and those with a family history of chronic diseases were more psychologically affected by the pandemic than those who did not. As the number of individuals with chronic diseases in the family increased, anxiety levels also increased. It was determined that students showed protective behaviors such as social distance and mask use in the early stages of the pandemic.
Conclusion: Nurses of the future will be involved in protecting and promoting health and treating illness as an important professional group in the health care system. Identifying mental health and psychological needs during the pandemic will be an important contribution to the management of the pandemic.

Keywords:

Pandeminin Erken D�neminde Hem�irelik ��rencilerinin COVID-19�dan Korunma Davran��lar�, Bilgi Alg�lar� ve Psikolojik Etkileri

Dokuz Eyl�l �niversitesi, Hem�irelik Fak�ltesi, Halk Sa�l�� Hem�ireli�i Anabilim Dal�, �zmir, T�rkiye

Ama�: COVID-19 k�resel salg�n� nedeniyle �l�m riskinin yan�nda t�m insanlar �zerinde psikolojik etkileri de olmu�tur. Bu �al��mada, hem�irelik ��rencilerinin COVID-19�dan korunma davran��lar� ve salg�n�n psikolojik etkilerinin belirlenmesi ama�lanm��t�r.
Y�ntem: Bu �al��mada kesitsel ve tan�mlay�c� bir tasar�m kullan�lm��t�r. Ara�t�rman�n �rneklemini T�rkiye�deki 685 hem�irelik ��rencisi olu�turmu�tur.
Bulgular: ��rencilerin COVID-19�a ili�kin haberleri sosyal medya ve TV �zerinden takip ettikleri ve bilgi alg�lar�n�n orta d�zeyde oldu�u bulunmu�tur. K�z ��rencilerin kayg� d�zeyleri y�ksek bulunmu�tur ve ailesinde kronik hastal�� olanlar�n olmayanlara g�re salg�ndan psikolojik olarak daha fazla etkilendi�i g�r�lm��t�r. Ailedeki kronik hastal�� olan birey say�s� artt�k�a kayg�da artma oldu�u, ��rencilerin salg�n�n erken d�nemindeki sosyal mesafe ve maske kullan�m� gibi koruma davran��lar�n� g�sterdikleri saptanm��t�r.
Sonu�: Gelece�in hem�ireleri sa�l�� sisteminde �nemli bir meslek grubu olarak sa�l��n korunmas�, geli�tirilmesinde ve hastal�klar�n tedavisinde yer alacakt�r. Salg�n s�ras�nda ruh sa�l�� ve psikolojik gereksinimlerin belirlenmesi, salg�n y�netim s�recine b�y�k katk� sa�layacakt�r.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

K�bra P�nar G�rkan, Burcu Cengiz. Nursing Students� Protective Behaviors towards COVID-19, their Perception of Information, and the Psychological Effects in the Early Stages of the Pandemic. Journal of Health and Nursing Management. 2022; 9(2): 261-271

Corresponding Author: K�bra P�nar G�rkan, T�rkiye