General Health, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Coping Strategies of Nurses Working in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Units

Abstract

Background: Nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) are more in direct contact with COVID-19 patients than other healthcare team members and are more vulnerable to mental disorders. This study aimed to determine the general health status, posttraumatic stress disorder, and coping strategies of nurses employed in the COVID-19 intensive care units. Methods: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Using the census method, 102 nurses working in the COVID-19 intensive care units of Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, were recruited as the sample in 2022. The general health questionnaire (GHQ-28), the impact of events-revised (IES-R), and the ways of coping questionnaire (WCQ) were used as research instruments. The data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, and analysis of variance in SPSS software, version 16. The significance level was set at P<0.05. Results: The overall mean of general health was 32.22±12.21, indicating mild psychological distress in most nurses. Somatic symptoms had the highest mean (9.16±4.06) among the GHQ-28 subscales. The mean posttraumatic stress disorder was 39.07±14.79. The means of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies were 48.03±13.44 and 40.78±11.70, respectively. Most nurses (60.8%) generally suffered posttraumatic stress symptoms and used problem-focused coping strategies to deal with stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. No significant relationship existed between the main variables and the nurses’ characteristics (P>0.05). Conclusion: Most nurses experienced mental disorders (general health disorders and posttraumatic stress) during the COVID-19 pandemic. To reduce the psychological impact of COVID-19 on nurses, paying attention to their mental health is essential. Given the adverse effect of COVID-19 on nurses, studying the relationship between these variables and the quality of nurses’ performance is suggested.