Mental health changes and associations among nursing students in the post-pandemic era: a one-year longitudinal study
4 affiliations
- 1Key Laboratory of Digital-Intelligent Disease Surveillance and Health Governance, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- 2School of Nursing, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- 3School of Public Health, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- 4Sichuan Primary Health Care Research Center, North Sichuan Medical College, 234 Fujiang Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province China
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the mental health of nursing students, highlighting the importance of examining their mental health changes and recovery in the post-pandemic era.
Objective: This study aimed to explore the mental health changes and longitudinal relationships among nursing students after the full removal of COVID-19 restrictions through a longitudinal study conducted from December 2022 (one month post-removal, T1) to November 2023 (12 months post-removal, T2).
Methods: A total of 379 nursing undergraduates completed baseline and follow-up surveys, with all data collected using paper questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, paired sample T-tests, and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. Cross-lag analysis was used to investigate the longitudinal relationships between depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms.
Results: The study demonstrated that scores for depression and anxiety symptoms significantly decreased over time, with prevalence decreasing from 72% to 50.1% at baseline to 51.7% and 31.2% at follow-up (P < 0.001). However, PTSD symptom scores unexpectedly showed an upward trend, with prevalence increasing from 15.9% at T1 to 27.8% at T2 (P < 0.001). In the cross-lagged model, depression (β = 0.61, P < 0.001) and anxiety (β = 0.67, P < 0.001) at T1 had significant cross-lag effects on PTSD symptoms at T2. Similarly, PTSD symptoms at T1 predicted subsequent depression (β = 0.33, P < 0.001) and anxiety (β = 0.33, P < 0.001) symptoms at T2.
Conclusion: The persistence of PTSD symptoms following the pandemic along with significant psychological stress, underscoring the need for targeted educational policies. Such policies should focus on enhancing post-disaster mental health recovery courses and fostering resilience among students.
Clinical trial number: Not applicable.
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BibTeX
@article{chen2026mental,
title = {{Mental health changes and associations among nursing students in the post-pandemic era: a one-year longitudinal study}},
author = {Yinhai Chen and Tong Zhou and Xuan Jiang and Jiali Zhang and Congxuan Lin and Xiong Ke},
journal = {BMC Nursing},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12912-026-05035-7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05035-7},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mental health changes and associations among nursing students in the post-pandemic era: a one-year longitudinal study
AU - Yinhai Chen
AU - Tong Zhou
AU - Xuan Jiang
AU - Jiali Zhang
AU - Congxuan Lin
AU - Xiong Ke
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/29
JO - BMC Nursing
DO - 10.1186/s12912-026-05035-7
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05035-7
AB - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the mental health of nursing students, highlighting the importance of examining their mental health changes and recovery in the post-pandemic era. Objective: This study aimed to explore the mental health changes and longitudinal relationships among nursing students after the full removal of COVID-19 restrictions through a longitudinal study conducted from December 2022 (one month post-removal, T1) to November 2023 (12 months post-removal, T2). Methods: A total of 379 nursing undergraduates completed baseline and follow-up surveys, with all data collected using paper questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, paired sample T-tests, and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the data. Cross-lag analysis was used to investigate the longitudinal relationships between depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Results: The study demonstrated that scores for depression and anxiety symptoms significantly decreased over time, with prevalence decreasing from 72% to 50.1% at baseline to 51.7% and 31.2% at follow-up (P < 0.001). However, PTSD symptom scores unexpectedly showed an upward trend, with prevalence increasing from 15.9% at T1 to 27.8% at T2 (P < 0.001). In the cross-lagged model, depression (β = 0.61, P < 0.001) and anxiety (β = 0.67, P < 0.001) at T1 had significant cross-lag effects on PTSD symptoms at T2. Similarly, PTSD symptoms at T1 predicted subsequent depression (β = 0.33, P < 0.001) and anxiety (β = 0.33, P < 0.001) symptoms at T2. Conclusion: The persistence of PTSD symptoms following the pandemic along with significant psychological stress, underscoring the need for targeted educational policies. Such policies should focus on enhancing post-disaster mental health recovery courses and fostering resilience among students. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.
SN - 1472-6955
ER -