Abstract
BackgroundThe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed nurses, who are a very important group involved in the care of these patients, to many stresses that may affect their quality of life. This study aimed to determine the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and the quality of life among Iranian nurses.MethodThis online cross-sectional study enrolled 1,131 of Iranian nurses working at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak in treatment centers in different parts of Iran from April to May 2020. The convenience sampling strategy was used. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS). The stepwise multiple linear regression models were used to examine the relationships among self-reported anxiety concerning COVID-19 and SF-36 quality of life, its components, and subscales. Partial r was used as an estimate of effect size.ResultThe mean SF-36 score was 65.2 (SD=17.6). The mean score of the mental component summary (MCS) (M=56.8, SD=22.3) was lower than the mean score of the physical component summary (PCS) (M=71.6, SD=17.5). The mean score of COVID-19 anxiety was 17.8 (SD=10.5). Of the participants, 378 (33.4%; 95% CI [30.7%, 36.3%]), and 152 (13.4%; 95% CI [11.5%, 15.6%]) reported moderate and severe anxiety, respectively. According to the results of stepwise multiple linear regression model, after adjusting for possible confounding variables, the SF-36 quality of life was still significantly negatively associated with COVID-19 anxiety, with a large effect size (The partial r = -0.515, p < 0.001). The relationship between the SF-36 components and COVID-19 anxiety were also significant, and moderate to large effect sizes were observed (The partial r for (PCS; COVID-19 anxiety) = -0.404; p < 0.001, and for (MCS; COVID-19 anxiety) = -0.521; p < 0.001). In addition, significant correlation coefficients for every subscale of the SF-36 were found for COVID-19 anxiety and its two components, with small to large effect sizes (The partial correlations= -0.211 to -0.524, all ps< 0.001).ConclusionsThe results showed that higher COVID-19 anxiety in nurses decreases their quality of life. In order to increase nurses’ quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is recommended to design and implement programs to reduce their COVID-19 anxiety.
Highlights
In late December 2019, several cases of a pneumonialike disease occurred in Wuhan, Central China, for unknown reasons
The results showed that higher COVID-19 anxiety in nurses decreases their quality of life
The results showed that after adjusting the effect of individual characteristics, was there a statistically significant relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and quality of life, but the most important factor in determining the quality of life score was COVID-19 anxiety such that for each unit increase in mean anxiety score, quality of life score reduced by 0.81 units
Summary
In late December 2019, several cases of a pneumonialike disease (with symptoms such as fever, difficulty breathing, coughing, and invasive lesions in both lungs) occurred in Wuhan, Central China, for unknown reasons. Following the outbreak of the virus and its pandemic, on January 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement declaring that the outbreak of the new coronavirus was the sixth leading cause of public health emergency worldwide, a threat to China but to all countries [2]. In midFebruary 2020, Iran became the second focal point for the spread of the coronavirus in the world after China. As a group that should provide care for patients, have been under intense physical and mental stress since . The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed nurses, who are a very important group involved in the care of these patients, to many stresses that may affect their quality of life. This study aimed to determine the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and the quality of life among Iranian nurses
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