The Relationship between Intolerance of Uncertainty and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Levels of Nursing Students during the Covid-19 Outbreak

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the relationship between Turkish nursing students' intolerance of uncertainty and their depression, anxiety and stress levels during the COVID-19 outbreak. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between 18 and 29 May 2020, with the participation of 506 students. The data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DAS S-21). It was found that the participants had a mean total IUS-12 score of 37.18 +/- 10.10. When the subscales of DASS-21 were examined, the participants' mean scores were found to be 13.20 +/- 5.87 for the 'depression' sub-scale, 10.76 +/- 3.94 for the 'anxiety' sub-scale and 14.21 +/- 5.90 for the 'stress' sub-scale. It was ascertained that there were statistically significant differences in the mean scores obtained by the participants in the overall IUS-12 and DASS-21 sub-scales on the basis of the variables of 'the nursing students' academic achievements' and 'how the nursing students felt during the COVID-19 pandemic' (p<0.05). It was discerned that there was a weak positive statistically significant relationship between the mean scores obtained in the overall IUS-12 and those obtained in the DASS-21 sub-scales (p<0.01). As the nursing students' intolerance of uncertainty increased, their depression, anxiety and stress levels also went up. Psychological counseling should be offered to nursing students to prevent them from having mental disorders, to identify their mental issues and to help them cope with these mental problems.