COPING AND ANXIETY ASSOCIATED WITH THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY AMONG HEALTH CARE STUDENTS AT A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION IN COLOMBIA

Abstract

Objective: To describe the relationship between coping strategies and anxiety related to the COVID-19 health emergency among healthcare students at a higher education institution in Bogotá, Colombia. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted with 61 students of nursing, medicine and
surgical instrumentation programs who performed clinical practice during the pandemic. After informed
consent, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and selected questions from the Modified Coping Strategies Scale were administered. The analysis was carried out using SPSS version 29. Qualitative variables were analyzed using absolute frequencies and percentages, while quantitative variables were analyzed using
averages and standard deviations. Pearson’s Chi2 was used for associations with 95% confidence and 0.05 significance; the response rate was 100%. Results: Mean age 22.49 years, 83.6% women, 55.7% lived
with their parents during the pandemic. In terms of coping, the characteristic “I tried to see the positive aspects of the problem” was significant between programs (p< 0.05), with “almost always” or “always”
being higher in medicine (66.7%). The overall prevalence of the suggestive presence of anxiety was 26.2% and higher (30%) in Nursing. Conclusions: The differences in the use of positive reappraisal and anxietysuggestive scores highlight potential associations that should be explored in future studies with a larger sample size. A comprehensive response to health emergencies requires anxiety management tools and effective coping strategies in undergraduate training.