Psychological effect of COVID-19 pandemic on university students in Turkey

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic that started in China in December 2019 is spreading rapidly in Turkey and other parts of the world. The pandemic has not only brought the risk of death from infection, but also brought an irresistible psychological pressure. Especially, this pressure has increased due to the lockdown applied in the country. In this study, we aimed to reveal the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey on the anxiety levels of university students. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in Turkey with a total of 1704 students studying in different cities and at different higher education institutions. "Personal Information Form" and "Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale" consisting of 7 items were used as the data collection tools. SPSS for Windows 24 program was used for the analyses of study data. T-test statistics, One-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and Ordinal Logit Regression Analysis test statistics were used for the comparison of data. Results: The Cronbach's alpha value for the total score of the GAD scale was found to be 0.90. Concerning the effect of stress factors of the students on the GAD levels, the results of the study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the GAD levels and age, gender, educational level, type of family income, the positivity of COVID-19 in the family, individual, and vicinity, family economy, educational background, daily life routines, negative effects on the social life, and access to a protective mask (p<0.05; p<0.001). Discussion: This study highlights the potential effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the students, and when the results obtained are evaluated, it was seen that this pandemic had a high effect on the mental health of the students. As a result, it is recommended to monitor the mental health of university students during pandemics.