Journal of the Korean Society of School Health (한국학교보건학회지)

The Korean Society of School Health (한국학교보건학회)
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Influence of Social Contact on Suicidal Ideation among Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Effects of Depression and Loneliness

COVID-19 팬데믹 시기 간호대학생의 사회접촉과 자살사고: 우울, 외로움의 매개효과

  • Nam Yi Kim (College of Nursing, Konyang University) ;
  • Ji Eun Kim (College of Nursing, Konyang University)
  • Received : 2023.07.04
  • Accepted : 2023.08.11
  • Published : 2023.08.31
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Abstract

Purpose: Over the past two years, most Korean nursing students had to go through distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, amental health crisis has emerged among nursing students in South Korea. The study aimed to examine the relationships among social contact, depression, loneliness, and suicidal ideation. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from nursing students. The survey was conducted onlinein South Korea. A total of 184 nursing students were recruited from December 2021 to April 2022. For data analysis,the frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation of the general characteristics of the subjects were calculated using IBM/SPSS Statistics 25.0. To examine the mediating effect of depression and loneliness on the relationship between social contact and suicidal ideation, multiple linear regression was used to analyze associations among social contact, depression, loneliness, and suicidal ideation. Results: The average age was 22.69±5.66 years (range=18~54), and the sex distribution was 155 females among 184 nursing students. Lower social contact among nursing students was significantly associated with higher depression and loneliness. Loneliness significantly mediated the relationship between social contact and suicidal ideation innursing students. Conclusion: The findings suggest that strategies for enhancing social contact and reducing depression and loneliness should be considered to improve suicidal ideation among nursing students.

Keywords

References

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