Evaluating the Factors (Stress, Anxiety and Depression) Affecting the Mental Health Condition of Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Leveraging a Global Partnership to Address COVID-19-Related Mental Health Challenges

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected nurses globally. As frontline workers, nurses faced increased responsibilities amid challenges such as isolation, infection risks, family obligations and disrupted social support systems. Coping with these challenges was associated with adverse mental health outcomes.

AIM/QUESTION

This perspective paper examines a collaboration between two schools of nursing in the United States and India to address these mental health challenges.

METHODS

Faculty from both institutions identified key mental health topics, leading to five webinars that delved into topics such as acute and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on nurse mental health, coping mechanisms, caregiving responsibilities and children's needs during the pandemic.

RESULTS

Impressively, over 11,000 nurses from 60 countries engaged, fostering a global platform for sharing evidence-based knowledge, experiences and strategies.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This partnership exemplifies the value of international collaboration. By pooling resources and expertise across cultural contexts, the initiative not only disseminated crucial knowledge but also cultivated a sense of global community among nurses. The success of this collaboration underscores the potential of such global partnerships for healthcare institutions worldwide, offering avenues to share best practices and enhance support systems for nurses confronting similar crises globally.

Psychometrics of Job Stress-Related Presenteeism Scale among Turkish Nurses

Presenteeism occurs when workers are present at work but with diminished work capacity due to illness, stress, or other causes. Recent studies report that nursing is one of the leading professional groups experiencing presenteeism. Although studies of illness-related presenteeism predominate, fewer studies have investigated stress-related presenteeism. Nurses in Turkey are particularly vulnerable to stress-related presenteeism because of the country's low nurse-to-patient ratio. A scale for measuring presenteeism from job stress - the Job-Stress-Related-Presenteeism Scale-has been developed but not validated. This study had two objectives: to adapt the Job-Stress-Related-Presenteeism Scale to Turkish to use in measuring of presenteeism from job stress among nurses; and to assess the scale's validity. We conducted a cross-sectional study to test the content validity, construct validity, reliability, and stability of a Turkish version of the Job-Stress-Related Presenteeism Scale on a sample of 261 nurses. The content validity index of the Job-Stress-Related Presenteeism Scale was .65. Item-total score correlation values varied between .44 and .77. The confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the six-item, one-factor construct. The Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient was .86. Results indicated that our adapted version of the Job-Stress-Related Presenteeism Scale is valid and suitable for use in Turkey.

Correlations between childhood trauma and depression, anxiety, and stress levels in nurses

AIMS

This study aims to determine correlations between childhood trauma and depression, anxiety, and stress levels in nurses.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses in Turkey from August to September 2022. A total of 395 nurses were included in the study. Data were collected through an online survey using a personal information form, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS 21).

RESULTS

The mean score of the CTQ-28 total scale was 51.6, and emotional neglect was the most common type of abuse. The prevalence of moderate-to-extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress was 34.7 %, 42.2 %, and 18.3 %, respectively. Emotional abuse and emotional neglect subscales of the CTQ were independently related to all three DASS subscale scores.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that the emotional abuse and neglect experienced in childhood are related to the nurses' current stress, anxiety, and depression levels.

The spatial linkage mechanism: medical level, public health security, and economic climate from 19 OECD EU countries

Introduction

The global spread of the COVID-19 has brought about global changes, especially in terms of economic growth. Therefore, it has become a global issue to explore the impact of public health security on the economy.

Methods

Employing a dynamic spatial Durbin model, this study analyzes the spatial linkage mechanism of medical level, public health security, and economic climate in 19 countries as well as investigates the relationship between economic climate and COVID-19 by the panel data of 19 OECD European Union countries from March 2020 to September 2022.

Results

Results show that an improvement in the medical level can reduce the negative impact of public health security on the economy. Specifically, there is a significant spatial spillover effect. The degree of economic prosperity hurts the reproduction rate of COVID-19.

Discussion

Policymakers should consider both the severity of the public health security issues and the economic level when developing prevention and control policies. Given this, corresponding suggestions provide theoretical support for formulating policies to reduce the economic impact of public health security issues.

Levels of Anxiety and Fear among Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Aim. The aim of this review is to find out what levels of anxiety and fear have been shown by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background. Health security crises affect not only physical health but also the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare professionals due to a higher level of exposure. Evaluation. A systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA statement. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. The literature search was carried out in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS) electronic databases based on the keywords that the research question yielded following the PECOT strategy. For the selection of articles, original articles, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, short communication articles, and case reports were included. Then, a series of inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, screening the results to obtain a total of 18 articles, which were used to elaborate the study. Key Issues. Fear and anxiety levels were described in a total of 18 selected studies. The main fear-related concerns of the nurses were associated with the fear of infecting their family or friends and the fear of the death of a family member or friend. Conclusions. The main psychological impact on nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic was related to fear, anxiety, stress, and depression. Fear of infecting family members or of being infected were the main impacts perceived by nurses. Implications for Nursing Management. In general, high scores were found for levels of fear and anxiety, although the figures varied by country and time of data collection. Resilience was considered the main tool for coping with the loss and trauma experienced by nurses.

Factors influencing hospital anxiety and depression among emergency department nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-center cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

The emergency department (ED) is a highly stressful environment, which exposes nurses to infection. ED nurses handle life-threatening conditions, endure long working hours, and deal with anxious patients and their families.

AIM

This study aimed to examine factors, which may influence anxiety and depression levels among ED nurses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was used with 251 participants from six hospitals in Saudi Arabia (mean age = 32.7 ± 6.59, range = 21-54 years, 70.5% females). Data were collected using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM).

RESULTS

Based on the HADS scores, 29.1 and 25.5% of ED nurses were identified as doubtful cases for depression and anxiety, respectively. Additionally, 34.7 and 43.3% of ED nurses were identified as definite cases for depression and anxiety, respectively. Higher anxiety levels were observed among female nurses, nurses with lower physical activity levels, and nurses who worked in urban areas. Low physical activity levels and more than 6 years of work experience correlated with a higher level of depression. None of the hypothesized paths in the anxiety and depression models were significant, except for two observed variables-namely, work location and physical exercise in the anxiety model and physical exercise in the depression model.

CONCLUSION

Emergency department nurses expressed high levels of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may negatively affect their performance and reduce care quality. Therefore, health care leaders should implement specialized mental health education programs focused on nursing occupational safety and support to improve ED nurses' psychological well-being. Specific attention should be paid to ED female nurses who work in urban areas, especially those with more than 6 years of experience.