Job turnover intention, social support and fear of COVID-19 among frontline nurses in hospital setting: An exploratory survey

Abstract

BackgroundWith the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of nurses came into the limelight. Despite efforts, concerns have grown about the nurse's support, interest in carrying out their job responsibilities, and fear of getting COVID-19 infection. Therefore, we aim to assess the prevalence and predictors of job turnover intention, social support, and fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19) among frontline nurses. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in May–June 2022, involving 229 nurses using total enumeration sampling technique. Standardized tools consisting of turnover intention scale, multidimensional scale of perceived social support, and FCV-19 scale were administered. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20.0. Descriptive and inferential statistics included the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis H test. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to predict factors affecting the main variables. ResultsThe mean age of the study participants was 27.10 ± 2.72 years, with the majority being females (86.0 %). The results indicated that a significant proportion of nurses had the intention to leave the nursing profession (43.7 %). Majority of the nurses reported high social support (55.9 %) and low fear of COVID-19 (61.6 %). Regression analysis identified marital status and fear of COVID-19 as significant factors influencing job turnover intention. ConclusionOur study suggested that approximately half of the nurses might leave nursing profession in the near future, even though they report high social support and low FCV-19, potentially have adverse effects on patient care within the hospital setting, necessitating urgent interventions from both nurse managers and hospital administrators.