THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON DEATH ANXIETY OF NURSING STUDENTS

Background: It is required to determine death anxiety of nursing students so that they who will become healthcare professionals can cope with the fast-spreading and high-mortality diseases such as COVID-19 infection upon graduation, can communicate with infected and dying patients, and can provide patients with the necessary support and care. The purpose of this study is to determine the death anxiety experienced by nursing students due to COVID-19, the related factors. Subjects and methods: This descriptive and correlational study was completed between June and September 2020. The data were collected by using the Socio-demographic and COVID-19 Pandemic Information Form and Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). The student nurses who agreed to participate in the study were asked to fill out an online questionnaire that was sent by the researchers. The study was conducted with 115 nursing students. Results: The DAS mean scores of the nursing students were found to be 8.01 +/- 1.96 When the correlation between DAS scores of the nursing students and their knowledge and attitudes regarding COVID-19 pandemic was examined, it was determined that as their anxiety levels about transmission of coronavirus increased, DAS scores also increased (p=0.037). The scores of death anxiety scale decreased as the level of students' attention to events other than coronavirus, their level of comforting themselves and their belief mentioning that they would heal if they catch coronavirus increased (p<0.05). No statistically significant correlation was found between DAS scores and other knowledge and attitudes of nursing students regarding COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.05). Conclusion: It would be an effective method to provide the training to nursing students, in order to change their negative attitudes and awareness towards COVID-19 related death anxiety and to improve their coping skills for death anxiety and help to reduce the burden of anxiety.