COMPARISON OF SELF-ESTEEM AND SOCIAL ANXIETY AMONG FIRST TO FOURTH YEAR NURSING STUDENTS

Introduction: Good mental health while studying in university makes students able to deal effectively with numerous stressors that they experience. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the self-esteem and social anxiety of nursing students in grades one to four of medical universities in Tehran. Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, 400 students of the medical universities in Tehran were selected, using stratified sampling with proportional allocation. They filled a demographic information form and Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory and Liebowitz social anxiety questionnaire. Data for this study were collected during a semester. Results: The results showed that the overall mean score of self-esteem, and personal , social, parental self-esteem in the first and fourth year students did not differ statistically. There was no statistically significant difference in the total scores of social anxiety of first- to fourth-year students. The mean score of the avoidance of social interaction dimension in fourth-year students was significantly lower than in first year students (p<0.05). Conclusion: Mental health of nursing students is an important issue needs to receive special attention from the educational systems responsibles. With early interventions such as screening and identifying individuals at risk and providing effective strategies in the form of counseling services and holding workshops in order to increase awareness and updating students information in the fields of mental health an effective step has been taken towards mental health maintenance of students as members of an important social groups.