International Journal of Health Sciences and Research DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20210540 Vol.11; Issue: 5; May 2021 Website: www.ijhsr.org Original Research Article ISSN: 2249-9571 International Journal of Health Sciences and Research (www.ijhsr.org) 248 Vol.11; Issue: 5; May 2021 Psychological Effect of COVID-19 among Nursing Students Niran Shrestha 1 , Nirmala Ghimire 2 , Roshani Khatry 3 , Ratna Maharjan 4 1,2,3,4 Assistant Professor, Patan Academy of Health Sciences School of Nursing and Midwifery (PAHS), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Sanepa, Lalitpur, Nepal Corresponding Author: Niran Shrestha ABSTRACT Objective: Novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) has not only brought the risk of morbidity and mortality but also psychological burden on individuals. The objective of the study was to assess psychological effect of COVID- 19 among nursing students of Patan Academy of Health Sciences School of Nursing and midwifery, Lalitpur, Nepal. Method: A cross sectional analytical study was conducted in July 2020 among 382 nursing students. Stress was assessed by Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) 10 item scale, Anxiety level was assessed using Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale and depression with Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 9 item scale. The total enumerative sampling technique was used for sample selection and data was collected by an online survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Result: The findings of the study revealed that that 278 (72.8%) nursing students had moderate level and 11 (2.9%) had high perceived stress, 202 (52.9%) had mild anxiety and only 8 (2.1%) had severe anxiety. Regarding depression, 220 (57.6%) did not have depressive symptoms and only 4 (1%) had severe depression. Significant mean difference in stress, anxiety and depression between PCL, BSc and BNS were found with p value <0.05 which indicated that PCL students were more likely to be stressed, anxious and depressed than B.Sc. and BNS due to COVID 19. Conclusion: The survey revealed that the majority of nursing students had moderate level of stress, mild anxiety and no depressive symptoms during COVID 19. In order to improve the psychological status of students, the government and organizations should collaborate with educational institutions to ensure psychological support to the students. Keywords: Anxiety, COVID 19, depression, nursing students, psychological effect, stress, students. INTRODUCTION COVID-19, the infection caused by a novel corona virus detected in Wuhan in December 2019, is declared as a global pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO), has raised concerns of widespread panic and anxiety among [1] . Similarly, university students are vulnerable to the mental health sequelae of the COVID-19- related confinement. [2-4] In University of Spain, moderate to extremely severe scores of stress, anxiety and depression were reported by 28.14%, 21.34%, and 34.19% respondents, respectively. [3] Likewise, in Bangladesh, 58.6% of college students experienced stress, 63.6% anxiety, and 62.9% depression. [2] In Chitwan, Nepal, prevalence of mild anxiety was 45.4% and moderate stress was 84.1% among nursing students. [5] In Nepal, 9561 cases of confirmed COVID-19 with 23 deaths were recorded by 23 June 2020 [1] and it was escalating day by day. Due to this students were confined at home and were taking online classes, which in turn have brought forward the uncertainty for leading a normal campus life. This may