Health Behaviours and the Sense of Optimism in Nursing Students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ewa Kupcewicz, Marzena Mikla, Helena Kadučáková, Daria Schneider-Matyka and Elżbieta Grochans
Additional contact information
Ewa Kupcewicz: Department of Nursing, Collegium Medicum University of Warmia and Mazury, 11-041 Olsztyn, Poland
Marzena Mikla: Department of Nursing, Campus de Ciencias, University of Murcia, El Palmar, 30120 Murcia, Spain
Helena Kadučáková: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Catholic University in Ruzomberok, 034-01 Ruzomberok, Slovakia
Daria Schneider-Matyka: Department of Nursing, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland
Elżbieta Grochans: Department of Nursing, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-210 Szczecin, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: (1) The COVID-19 outbreak brought about several socio-economic changes and has had a negative impact on the mental health of people around the world. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between health behaviours and dispositional optimism among nursing students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) The study was carried out in spring 2021 on a group of 756 nursing students in Poland ( n = 390), Spain ( n = 196) and Slovakia ( n = 170). The diagnostic survey method was applied with the questionnaire technique, and the following standardised research tools were used: Life Orientation Test—Revised (LOT-R) and the Health Behaviour Inventory (IZZ). The survey was conducted in a mixed arrangement: in direct contact with the respondents in Poland and in Spain and online in Slovakia. (3) Significant differences were demonstrated in health behaviour preferences in students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia (F = 6.22; p < 0.002). The highest IZZ index was found in Spanish students (82.60 ± 13.65), while lower values were observed in Slovak (80.38 ± 13.74) and Polish (78.44 ± 13.47) students. The correlation between dispositional optimism and a positive attitude was the strongest in the Polish sample (r = 0.56; p < 0.001), at a high level in the Spanish sample (r = 0.53; p < 0.001) and at an average level in the Slovak sample (r = 0.48; p < 0.001). (4) 1. The study showed a moderating effect of the country of origin on the students’ health behaviours. 2. Dispositional optimism is an important predictor of the students’ health behaviours, regardless of the country of origin.

Keywords: pandemic; COVID-19; dispositional optimism; health behaviours (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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