Examination of Late COVID-19 Pandemic Stress, Burnout, Hopelessness, and Depression Among University Students According to Demographic Characteristics

Abstract

The psychological state of people during the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted significant interest from researchers and the general public alike. The aim of this study is to examine the stress, burnout, hopelessness, and depression levels of university students toward the end of the pandemic. A survey model, as a quantitative research method, was applied in this study. The analysis revealed that 70% of the participating university students had moderate to high stress levels, and levels of stress among female students were found to be higher than those among male students. When the students' hopelessness levels were examined, it was seen that 81% of them felt hopelessness at medium or high levels. Hopelessness and burnout were seen to be associated with grade point average. A total of 61% of these students had moderate or high levels of depression symptoms, constituting an at-risk status. The results indicate that factors such as gender, year of study, and grade point average had varying effects on stress, burnout, hopelessness, and depression levels. Additionally, strong relationships were found among the four considered psychological variables, suggesting that they may influence one another and highlighting the need for further research in this area.