Effectiveness of a Mental Health Program using Instagram (Friendship Town) for Newly Entered Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic / 정신간호학회지

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mental health program utilizing Instagram for nursing students. @*Methods@#A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Fifty-seven nursing students who enrolled in a university during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea participated in the study 30 nursing students (26 females and 4 males) in the experimental group and 27 nursing students (21 females and 6 males) in the control group. The Instagram Program for mental health provided 8 sessions for each topic. The data collected via questionnaires were statistically analyzed. @*Results@#Significant differences were found between the two groups in depression (t=-2.32, p=.024) and anxiety (t=-2.43, p=.018), but there was no significant difference in loneliness (t=0.64, p=.263). @*Conclusion@#The Instagram program is accessible for incoming nursing students and effective in decreasing their depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 era. Therefore, this intervention could enhance the mental health of nursing students by allowing them to express their thoughts and feelings through mutual interaction on Instagram.