Predictors of critical care nurses' stress, anxiety, and depression in response to COVID‐19 pandemic

• Published in: Nursing in critical care Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 177 - 183
• Main Authors: Baraka, Azza Abd Elrazek, Ramadan, Fatma Hussein, Hassan, Eman Arafa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-03-2023; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Anxiety; COVID-19; Critical care; critical care nurses; depression; Mental depression; Nurses; Nursing care; Pandemics; predictors; Questionnaires; Stress; COVID-19; predictors; anxiety; stress; critical care nurses; depression
• ISSN: 1362-1017; 1478-5153
• DOI: 10.1111/nicc.12708

Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic directly affects the psychological well‐being of critical care nurses. Several studies had investigated the psychological impact of the pandemic on nurses caring for patients with COVID‐19, but few were conducted to identify the predictors of this impact.
Aims
The objective of this study is to identify the predictors of critical care nurses' stress, anxiety, and depression in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Design
A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in five intensive care units in five hospitals in Alexandria, Egypt.
Methods
An online questionnaire was distributed. It included socio‐demographic and work‐related data and the depression, anxiety, and stress scale scores of the nurses under study. A multiple linear regression model was developed to identify the predictors of critical care nurses' stress, anxiety, and depression in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Results
Two hundred (64%) of 308 nurses completed the electronic questionnaire. Significant predictors of stress included the number of infected colleagues (P < .001) and availability of hospital resources (P = .01). Significant predictors of anxiety were age, gender, satisfactory income (P < .001), years of experience, time spent caring for patients with COVID‐19 (P = .04), continuous training, number of infected colleagues (P = .01), and availability of hospital resources (P = .02). Finally, significant predictors of depression included gender, history of physical problems (P = .04), educational attainment, availability of hospital resources, history of psychological problems (P < .001), and number of infected colleagues (P = .001).
Conclusion
The hospital's lack of human and physical resources and the number of colleagues infected with COVID‐19 were the strongest predictors of stress, anxiety, and depression among nurses.
Relevance to clinical practice
Identifying the predictors of stress, anxiety, and depression among nurses who care for patients with COVID‐19 is a vital step in developing mental health promotion strategies to support nurses during this pandemic.