The effect of fear of COVID-19 on perceived clinical stress levels in senior nursing students: A cross-sectional study

•The fear of COVID-19 and the perceived stress level of senior nursing students who were carrying out their clinical practice during the pandemic were at moderate levels.•The stress experienced by students during their clinical education was no different from the stress experienced by students befor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Teaching and learning in nursing 2022-07, Vol.17 (3), p.296-301
Main Authors: Iyigun, Emine, Arici Parlak, Emine, Ayhan, Hatice
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
clinical education
COVID-19
nursing education
nursing students
stress
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Summary:•The fear of COVID-19 and the perceived stress level of senior nursing students who were carrying out their clinical practice during the pandemic were at moderate levels.•The stress experienced by students during their clinical education was no different from the stress experienced by students before the pandemic.•The fear of COVID-19 did not affect perceived stress level in the clinical education setting. Aim: This study aimed to examine the effect of fear of COVID-19 on the perceived stress levels in senior nursing students performing their clinical practice. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with senior nursing students in a nursing facility in March 2021. The data were collected using an APP Application sent to the smartphones of students (n = 148) receiving clinical education. Results: With a mean score of 17.2 ± 7.0 on the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, it was determined that the senior nursing students’ COVID-19 fears were at a moderate level. Students’ mean score from the Perceived Stress Scale was 71.0 ± 25.7, which indicated a moderate level. A positive, weak, and significant correlation was found between the total scores of fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress level (r = 0.291, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this study, the perceived stress of students in their clinical practice was at a moderate level, as it was before the pandemic. It appears that a moderate level of fear of COVID-19 during the pandemic does not affect perceived stress levels in the clinical education setting. Accordingly, we recommend that clinical education should be maintained by taking necessary measures and implementing good management during the pandemic.
ISSN:1557-3087
1557-2013
1557-2013
1557-3087
DOI:10.1016/j.teln.2022.04.005