Emotional Reactions to COVID-19 and Coping Strategies in Nursing Students

Background and Objective: Nursing students are continuously exposed to carriers or patients with COVID-19 during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences can lead to many emotional reactions in nursing students. The aim of this study was to investigate emotional reactions to COVID-19 and coping strategies in nursing students. Material and Methods: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted in 2021 at Saveh University of Medical Sciences, Iran, on 106 nursing students chosen by the census method. The tools used in this study included two standard questionnaires of emotional reactions to COVID-19 Huang et al. and Carver's coping strategies questionnaire (brief form). Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 19. Results: The mean score of the dimensions of emotional reactions was 4.06±0.56, 4.19±0.77, 3.08±0.56, and 2.89±0.56, in the field of fear, anxiety, sadness, and anger, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of fear and anxiety with gender (P<0.05). The mean scores of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies were 2.97±0.97 and 3.06±0.97, respectively (P>0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between emotion-based coping strategies with fear, anxiety, and anger (P<0.05(. Conclusion: Months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the rate of negative emotional reactions (including fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness) is high in nursing students. There was a positive correlation between emotion-based coping strategies and emotional reactions. Therefore, particular emphasis should be placed on providing psychological support to nursing students as well as teaching coping strategies.