Introduction

Academic stress is a physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioral response of students to some stressors such as the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective

To determine the level of stress perceived by nursing students at a Colombian Caribbean university during the mandatory COVID-19 lockdown.

Materials and Methods

An analytical study was conducted with 398 nursing students at a Colombian Caribbean university, who completed two instruments, a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10).

Results

Average stress rate was 18.835.19, indicating a mild level of stress but being lower in older students (30-34 and >=35 years) (P= 0.00). Women had a slightly lower rate of perceived stress compared to men (P=0.04). Students living in rural areas showed to have higher stress levels.

Discussion

This study revealed the impact of three months of restrictions during the COVID-19 lockdown in a population of young university students who have interrupted their in-person educational training to online training, causing academic stress in the study population.

Conclusion

Younger men showed higher levels of stress compared to women, decreasing as their age increases. Living in rural areas may become a stressor for students.

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