Does the Death Anxiety of Nurses Providing Care for Patients with Covid-19 Affect their Commitment to the Profession? A Correlational Descriptive Study

Abstract

Nurses make up the largest group of healthcare professionals fighting Covid-19, and they frequently face patients with Covid-19 from hospitalisation to discharge. For this reason, they are exposed to several psychological pressures and occupational hazards. This study aimed to determine the relationship between death anxiety and commitment to the profession in nurses providing nursing care for patients with Covid-19 in Turkey. A correlational descriptive study was conducted with 130 nurses giving nursing care to patients with Covid-19 in a hospital in Turkey providing care to Covid-19 patients. A personal information form, the Turkish Death Anxiety Scale, and the Nursing Professional Commitment Scale were used to collect the study data. Descriptive statistical methods were used to summarise the general information. The data are expressed as “mean ± standard deviation (X ± SD)” or “frequency and percentage.” Correlations between the scales were determined using Spearman’s correlation test. The statistical significance level was accepted as p < 05. The mean score of nurses from the Turkish Death Anxiety Scale was 76.00 ± 23.44, and their mean score from the Nursing Professional Commitment Scale was 57.00 ± 14.60. No significant relationship was found between the Turkish Death Anxiety Scale and the Nursing Professional Commitment Scale scores (r = 0.085, p = .336). The findings of the study showed that nurses had a high death anxiety level, their commitment to the profession was moderate, and that no significant relationship was found between their death anxiety and commitment to the profession. Nurses should be supported by employers to enhance their professional commitment and reduce death anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic.