The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a global long-term education crisis, which has negatively affected the psychological well-being of nursing students. This study aims to determine the effect of academic stress and upward comparison on depression among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A convenience sample of 271 junior and senior nursing students from four universities in South Korea was selected. The SPSS/WIN 28.0 program was employed for the data analysis, and multiple regression analysis was performed to confirm the effect of academic stress and stress from upward comparison on depression. The study results show that the regression model was significant (F = 7.60, p < 0.001). Moreover, age over 25 (β = 0.15, p = 0.006), academic stress (β = 0.31, p < 0.001), and upward comparison (β = 0.18, p = 0.002) explained 19.0% of depression among the participants. Developing and testing the effect of programs that address academic stress and upward comparison may be necessary to control depression in nursing students. Furthermore, in response to COVID-19, efforts must be made to include these interventions in the curriculum for nursing students on a consistent basis.
Keywords: COVID-19; academic stress; depression; nursing students; social comparison; upward comparison.