RT Journal Article
T1 Assessing COVID-19-Related Psychological Distress: Validation of the AMICO Scale in Spanish Nursing University Students
A1 Badillo Sánchez, Nadine
A1 Morgado Toscano, Cristina
A1 Allande Cussó, Regina
A1 Gómez Salgado, Juan
A1 Yildirim, Murat
A1 Goniewicz, Krzysztof
A1 Macías Toronjo, Israel
A1 Fagundo Rivera, Javier
AB Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on nursingstudents by intertwining academic demands with health concerns, a situation that hadeffects on their emotional well-being and academic engagement. Factors such as sociodemographiccharacteristics and health status determined their experiences. Understandingthese dynamics is crucial, especially in the context of the Spanish health and educationsystems. The present study aimed to adapt and assess the psychometric properties ofthe AMICO scale in the context of nursing students in Spain. Methods: Cross-sectionaldescriptive study. The study was carried out in University Nursing Centers in Spain usinga non-probabilistic snowball sampling method. The total sample consisted of 1197 nursingstudents. Sociodemographic variables were included, as well as questions related to generalhealth and some more specific questions about COVID-19. For the reliability study, Cronbach’salpha was calculated. An exploratory factor analysis using principal componentsand varimax rotation was applied, excluding items with loadings below 0.05. Results:In this study, 1197 nursing students residing in Spain participated, of whom 85% werefemale, with a mean age of 22.35 years. Despite 73.9% of the students being isolated due toexposure to COVID-19, they rated their general health positively (7.86). Females reportedhigher levels of anxiety. The AMICO scale revealed significant differences according togender, health, and vaccination history, showing high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.913).Conclusions: The two-factor structure of the AMICO scale was validated, confirming itssuitability for assessing anxiety and fear among nursing students in Spain. The studyrevealed significant emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly amongwomen, high-risk individuals, and those fully vaccinated. These findings accentuate theneed for higher education institutions to implement targeted mental health interventionsduring public health emergencies. Future longitudinal research should examine the evolvingpsychological impact of such crises and the mitigating roles of quality of life, sleep, andphysical activity.
PB MDPI
SN 2227-9032 (electrónico)
YR 2025
FD 2025-05
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/25501
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/25501
LA eng
NO Badillo-Sánchez, N., Morgado-Toscano, C., Allande-Cussó, R., Gómez-Salgado, J., Yıldırım, M., Goniewicz, K., Macías-Toronjo, I., & Fagundo-Rivera, J. (2025). Assessing COVID-19-Related Psychological Distress: Validation of the AMICO Scale in Spanish Nursing University Students. In Healthcare (Vol. 13, Issue 9, p. 1058). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13091058
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 13 jul 2026