ABSTRACT
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.