Unemployment Anxiety Of Health Sciences Faculty’s Students
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the unemployment anxiety levels of students in the Faculty of Health Sciences and to examine the factors influencing this anxiety. This descriptive and crosssectional research was conducted during the 2024–2025 fall semester with 386 students selected through stratified sampling from a population of 656 first- and fourth-year students enrolled at Ankara University Faculty of Health Sciences. Data were collected through a Personal Information Form and the Job-Finding Anxiety Scale developed by Demir (2016), using face-to-face interviews. Parametric and non-parametric tests were applied in statistical analyses, and the significance level was set at p<0.05. The findings revealed that students’ unemployment anxiety was generally at a moderate-tohigh level. Among the sub-dimensions, the highest levels of anxiety were observed in “employment inadequacy” and “helplessness.”
First-year students reported higher anxiety regarding inexperience and personal competence, while fourth-year students showed greater anxiety related to unemployment and uncertainty. Students in Social Work and Nutrition-Dietetics departments exhibited higher levels of unemployment anxiety compared to their peers in other programs. In addition, students with lower income levels had higher employment-related anxiety, those with only basic foreign language skills reported more discrimination-related anxiety, and male students scored higher in personal competence anxiety. No significant differences were found according to residence status or work experience. In conclusion, unemployment anxiety among health sciences students varies according to both individual perceptions and socioeconomic conditions. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening the education-employment alignment, expanding career planning services, and providing psychological support programs. Both structural policies and individual support mechanisms play a crucial role in reducing unemployment anxiety in this group.
Author(s)
Meliha Meliş GÜNALTAY
Gülbiye YENİMAHALLELİ YAŞAR
