COVID-19 FEAR AND AGGRESSION LEVELS OF NURSING STUDENTS DURING THE PANDEMIC

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the fear of COVID-19 in nursing students and to reveal its effect on aggression levels. The research was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study was conducted with 183 students in the Black Sea region in May-July 2021. The data were collected using the sociodemographic information form, the Fear of Coronavirus Scale, and the Aggression Scale: Short Form. 69% of the students were female, and their average age was 21.22±2.05. 83.6% thought that not participating in the hospital practice during the pandemic affected their readiness for the profession, and 63.4% felt inadequate. Fear and aggression levels were found to be moderate. Fear of coronavirus was significantly higher in female students, health high school graduates, unemployed students, smokers, and alcohol users. In terms of Aggression Scale total and sub-dimensions, gender, class, employment status, place of residence, mother's education level, number of siblings, and sleep pattern were the factors that led to a significant. No significant relationship was found between the fear of coronavirus and aggression scale and its sub-dimensions. Students experienced moderate levels of fear and aggression. Delivering practice-based courses with distance education negatively affected the students' readiness for the profession.