**4. Discussion**

The main objective of this study was to analyze the level of psychological discomfort of the final-year nursing students. The results showed that these students obtained high scores in this variable, following the line of research such as Herrera and Rivera [23]. However, other studies have reported a moderate prevalence [26].

The data of this study indicate that those who felt ready and qualified for the world of work presented a lower level of psychological discomfort. These data are consistent with the results of other studies [23], where the mean marks and satisfaction with the degree were also correlated with a low psychological discomfort.

A correlation was observed between sociodemographic variables and psychological discomfort. Moxham, Fernández, Kim, Lapkin, Ten Ham-Baloyi and Mutair [27] stated that the variables related to psychological discomfort are sex, age, marital status, and employment status. Some variables such as coexistence, high marks, and the practicum are not statistically significantly correlated with psychological discomfort [27].

Furthermore, the results of the present study indicate that psychological discomfort affects women to a greater extent than men, which is in line with the findings of Liébana-Presa, Fernández-Martínez, Gándara, Muñoz-Villanueva, Vázquez-Casares and RodríguezBorrego [28], who reported that women obtained a higher score than men. It is important to highlight that the data of the present study corroborate the need to considering gender as a key for a change of paradigm that will allow generating more accurate and inclusive scientific knowledge, as well as a more realistic, fair, and egalitarian healthcare system.

As was commented above, in this study, those participants who felt ready for the world of work presented a lower psychological discomfort, which could be related to a greater resilience and a greater capacity to adapt to changes [29].

Having performed the practicum in healthcare centers and having suffered from COVID-19 were not significantly related to psychological discomfort. The data of this study indicate that psychological discomfort is related to sociodemographic variables such as sex, age, and university of origin, as well as preparation for the world of work.

The results of this investigation show the convenience of developing mitigation strategies in pandemic situations. Since resources can be particularly scarce during these states, adequate psychological support could be provided in many different forms, including telemedicine and informal support groups [30].
