The impact of educational concerns and satisfaction on baccalaureate nursing students’ distress and quality of life during the Covid‑19 pandemic; a cross‑sectional study
Flølo, Tone Nygaard; Gjeilo, Kari Hanne; Andersen, John Roger; Haraldstad, Kristin; Hjelmeland, Inger Helene Hardeland; Iversen, Marjolein M.; Løyland, Borghild; Norekvål, Tone Merete; Riiser, Kirsti; Rohde, Gudrun E.; Urstad, Kristin Hjorthaug; Utne, Inger; Beisland, Elisabeth Grov
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Published version
Date
2022Metadata
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Flølo, T. N., Gjeilo, K. H., Andersen, J. R., Haraldstad, K., Hjelmeland, I. H. H., Iversen, M. M., ... & Beisland, E. G. (2022). The impact of educational concerns and satisfaction on baccalaureate nursing students’ distress and quality of life during the Covid-19 pandemic; a cross-sectional study. BMC nursing, 21(1), 185. 10.1186/s12912-022-00962-7Abstract
Background: High levels of psychological distress and poor overall quality of life (QOL) have been identified among
nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic necessitated improvised reconstructions of edu-
cational curriculums and restrictions in clinical placement and training at campuses, possibly reducing educational
quality.
Objectives: We explored whether baccalaureate nursing students’ concerns and satisfaction with the educational
curriculum, focusing on the conduct of clinical training, were associated with perceived psychological distress and
overall QOL.
Methods: Baccalaureate nursing students (N=6088) from five Norwegian universities were invited to an internet-
based, cross-sectional survey during the second wave of the pandemic. The survey included COVID-19 specific ques-
tions on health, education and clinical training, the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S), The Hopkins Symptom Checklist
(SCL-5) and overall QOL. Data from national surveys on satisfaction with the educational curriculum, before and dur-
ing the pandemic were used for comparison.
Results: In total, 2605 (43%) students responded, of whom 1591 (61%) had been engaged in clinical training during
the pandemic. Overall, 53% were either satisfied or fully satisfied with their educational curriculum, with the level of
satisfaction being significantly lower than pre-pandemic reference values. Also, 79% were concerned or highly con-
cerned about the educational quality. In multiple regression analyses for all students, lower levels of satisfaction and
higher levels of quality concerns were associated with worse SCL-5 scores. Furthermore, satisfaction with the educa-
tional curriculum was positively associated with overall QOL. For students engaged in clinical training, only concerns