The Effect of Job Stress on the Severity of Coronavirus Disease Symptoms in Iranian Hospital Nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Nurses' job stress during coronavirus disease is very high, which weakens the immune system. Furthermore, job stress plays an important role in the symptoms and clinical severity of this disease. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of job stress on the severity of coronavirus disease symptoms in hospital nurses in Iran.
 Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 400 nurses with a history of coronavirus disease in hospitals in Tehran, Iran, in 2021. Demographic and occupational information and clinical status of the subjects were collected from medical records and self-reports. The level of job stress in the subjects was determined using Osipow questionnaire with Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.83. Finally, the data were analyzed using ANOVA and the Pearson test in SPSS 19 software.
 Results: The results of this study showed that the mean level of job stress increases with age, body mass index (BMI), and working hours (P < 0.05). Also, the mean level of job stress was higher in contractual and smoking nurses (P < 0.05). In this study, 20% of the subjects had severe job stress. Job stress decreased blood oxygen and increased the duration of shortness of breath and cough, gastrointestinal disorders, weakness and lethargy, and headache and dizziness in the subjects (P < 0.05).
 Conclusion: Job stress in nurses experiencing coronavirus disease increases the severity and complete recovery time of coronavirus disease. It also increases the duration of the disease symptoms such as shortness of breath and cough, gastrointestinal disorders, weakness, headache, and vertigo.