Mental status of nursing students assessed using the general health questionnaire during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Turkey

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the mental state of nursing students when the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the Turkish population reached its peak. Design and Methods This cross‐sectional study was remotely conducted using General Health Questionnaire‐12 (GHQ‐12) and personnel information form, for 2630 nursing students, in Turkey. Data were statistically analyzed. Findings The mean GHQ‐12 score was 3.04 ± 2.13, and 71.5% of nursing students scored ≥2 on the GHQ‐12, indicating risk for mental problems. We highlighted that nursing students who reported less sleep and diet during the COVID‐19 pandemic as well as those who thought they were suffering from COVID‐19 symptoms obtained significantly higher mean scores on the GHQ‐12. Practice Implications Our results showed that most nursing students reported mental problems during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Pre‐training of the frontline staff during outbreaks is needed to prepare them to deal with a global pandemic.