Knowledge, Attitude, and Emotional Problems Regarding COVID-19 among Undergraduate Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: Undergraduate nursing students considered from the most vulnerable \ngroup who are at risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection. To protect undergraduate nursing \nstudents healthcare authorities should keep them away from stress and anxiety and \nimprove their knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19. The study \naimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and emotional problems regarding COVID-19 \namong undergraduate nursing students. Methods: Design: A descriptive, web\x02 \nbased-cross-sectional study was used. A convenient sample of all 280 \nundergraduate nursing students in the Faculty of Nursing Sohag University was \nincluded in the study from 20 June to 2 July 2020. Tools: A self-administered \nrelated questionnaire was designed using Google forms regarding the COVID-19 \nrelated KA, the link of the survey was sent to the respondents via Whatsapp groups \nand depression, anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). Results: The majority of the \nundergraduate nursing students were knowledgeable about COVID-19 which \nindicating a high level of knowledge and indicating optimistic attitudes. As regard \nemotional problems, the result presents that 70 % of the undergraduate nursing \nstudents suffered from a moderate level of stress, while only 11 % were normal. \nRegarding anxiety level, detected that 60 % of the undergraduate nursing students \nsuffered from moderate anxiety, while 18 % of them were normal. Related to \ndepression level, 35 % of undergraduate nursing students suffered from a moderate \nlevel of depression. Conclusion: more than two-thirds of undergraduates nursing \nstudents suffered from a moderate level of stress, less than two-thirds of them \nsuffered from moderate anxiety, while around one-tenth of them were normal, and \nmore than one third of them suffered from a moderate level of depression. \nRecommendations: the study suggested the need for additional research on \npredictive factors affecting people s stress in the era of COVID-19 outbreak and \ncarried out intervention activities through various mediums to help undergraduates \nnursing students become more knowledgeable during the COVID-19 epidemic.