Perceived Social Support and General Health in Nursing and Midwifery Students in Tehran During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

COVID-19 pandemic affects the physical and mental health of nursing and midwifery students as a group who are potentially in contact with patients during a pandemic. Considering that receiving social support is very necessary for crisis situations and also good general health makes the person adapt to the surrounding environment; therefore the present study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the relationship between perceived social support and general health among nursing and midwifery students of Iran University of Medical Sciences.

This descriptive correlational study was conducted from April to July 2019 with 186 students of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of Iran University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool was an electronic questionnaire including demographic information, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.

The most social support perceived by the students was reported by the family. With the reduction of perceived social support by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, the general health score increased, which means that students’ general health is weaker. Having an underlying disease is the only variable that had a significant relationship with perceived social support (P = 0.018) and general health (P = 0.005). The way of living had a statistically significant relationship with the general health of students during the pandemic of COVID-19 (P < 0.001). Those who live alone had less general health.

Social support from family and friends was associated with improving the general health of students during the Corona era. Therefore, it is suggested to take a step towards increasing the level of their general health by increasing social support for students who live alone or have an underlying disease.