A Comparative Study of Professional Ethics, Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Athletic and Non-athletic Nurses During COVID–19

Abstract

Background and Aims: Nurses play an essential role in developing care, treatment, and community health during the outbreak of COVID-19. Also, because they are in the front line of dealing with this disease, they are more likely to suffer from psychological disorders and anxiety. Therefore, taking care of their mental health is very important. This study aimed to compare the level of professional ethics, depression, anxiety, and stress in athlete and non-athlete nurses working in selected hospitals in Tehran during COVID-19 disease in 1399. Methods: The sample size was 80 in the athlete group and 70 in the non-athlete group. Data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, a depression, anxiety, and stress questionnaire(DASS-42), and 21 ethics questions in the nursing profession Jahanpour et al. Also, to analyze the data, SPSS v. 22 software and descriptive statistics methods (mean, standard deviation, etc.) and Clomogrov Smirnov and T-independent test were used in inferential statistics. Results: The results showed that depression, stress, and anxiety were higher in non-athlete nurses compared to nursing athletes (P<0001). The results also showed improved professional ethics in athlete nurses compared to non-athlete nurses (P<0001). Conclusion: Given the critical role of nurses in improving and promoting people's health in the actual situation of COVID–19 disease, encouraging them to exercise according to a regular schedule with the support of sports coaches is considered a health priority.