Anxiety, self-efficacy, and their determinants in school students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey in Southeastern Iran

BMC Psychiatry

Research

Mohammad Ali Zakeri¹  Mahboobeh Maazallahi²  Min Li³  Hojjat Farahmandnia⁴  Limin Liu⁵  Mahlagha Dehghan⁶  Mehri Kordi⁷  Allahyar Shahnavazi⁸  Abdollah Dakkalirad⁹ 

[1] Clinical Research Development Unit, Ali-Ibn Abi-Talib Hospital, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran;Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran;Department of Critical Care Nursing, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran;Department of Foreign Language and Economics, Jiaozuo Normal College, 454000, Jiaozuo, Henan, China;Health in Disasters and Emergencies Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran;Mental Health Education and Consultation Center, Jiaozuo Normal College, 454000, Jiaozuo, Henan, China;Nursing Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran;Nursing office, Iranshahr University of medical, Iranshahr, Iran;School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iranshahr University of Medical Science, Iranshahr, Iran;Tropical and communicable Disease Research Center, Iranshahr University of Medical Sciences, Iranshahr, Iran;The Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Branch, Tehran, Iran;

关键词: COVID-19;    Coronavirus;    Anxiety;    Self-efficacy;    Students;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-023-05252-3

 received in 2023-03-12, accepted in 2023-10-04,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to various psychological disorders, including anxiety, particularly among the general public. It is crucial to monitor the mental health of school students, who are considered a vulnerable group in society, and assess their self-efficacy, as it can significantly affect their mental health. This study aimed to investigate the levels of anxiety and self-efficacy among school students during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis cross-sectional study utilized convenience sampling to examine a sample of 335 school students from Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran. An online questionnaire, distributed through social media platforms, was used to collect data. The questionnaire included demographic information, COVID-19 related items, the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children-MASC, and the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children-SEQ-C. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS version 24, with a significance level set at < 0.05.ResultsThe study revealed a significant negative correlation between children’s anxiety and self-efficacy (r = -0.23, P < 0.001). Several factors were identified as predictors of anxiety, including low self-efficacy (β = -0.29, P < 0.001), female gender (β = 0.27, P < 0.001), concern about family members contracting COVID-19 (β = 0.18, P < 0.001), persistent advice of others to adopt preventive measures (β = 0.14, P < 0.005), level of education (β = -0.12, P < 0.017), and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection (β = -0.11, P < 0.030). These variables collectively accounted for 17% of the variance in anxiety.ConclusionThe findings of the study highlight the importance of addressing the mental health of school students, specifically their anxiety levels, during epidemics. The results also indicate that enhancing self-efficacy among students during a pandemic could be a beneficial strategy for promoting their mental health.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023