The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown have precipitated significant disruption in the educational system. Nursing students are known to have higher levels of stress and anxiety than other non-nursing students, but there is a dearth of evidence regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on their mental health and coping mechanisms.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the influence of coping mechanisms as predictors of stress, anxiety, and depression among nursing students during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 20 April to 10 May 2020 among 173 nursing students at a private university in Southern California, USA.
Results: Self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression were significantly higher during the lockdown compared to the pre-lockdown period (p < 0.001). Almost a quarter of participants reported high stress, while more than half reported moderate-to-severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. High resilience was negatively associated with high stress (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.46; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.22-0.98; p = 0.045), moderate-to-severe anxiety (OR = 0.47; 95%CI = 0.25-0.90; p = 0.022), and moderate-to-severe depression (OR = 0.50; 95%CI = 0.26-0.95; p = 0.036). Similarly, high family functioning was negatively associated with high stress (OR = 0.41; 95%CI = 0.20-0.86; p = 0.018), moderate-to-severe anxiety (OR = 0.41; 95%CI = 0.21-0.80; p = 0.009), and moderate-to-severe depression (OR = 0.41; 95%CI = 0.20-0.81; p = 0.011). High spiritual support was negatively associated with moderate-to-severe depression (OR = 0.48; 95%CI = 0.24-0.95; p = 0.035).
Conclusions: During the COVID-19 lockdown, nursing students experienced remarkable levels of poor mental health. High levels of resilience and family functioning were associated with 2- to 2.4-fold lower risk of stress, anxiety, and depression, whereas high spiritual support was associated with 2-fold lower risk of depression. As the pandemic evolves, fostering these coping mechanisms may help students to maintain their psychological wellbeing.
Keywords: COVID-19; anxiety; coping mechanism; depression; family functioning; resilience; spirituality; stress.