The Effect of Working in A Hospital Offering Pandemic-Related Services on the Perceived Stress and Anxiety Levels of Nurses During Covid-19: A Case of Two Hospitals

Abstract

This descriptive and comparative study analyzed the effect of working conditions on the stress and anxiety levels of nurses in hospitals treating patients affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study was performed with a total of 304 nurses working in one hospital that provided pandemic-related services and another one that did not. An introductory information form, perceived stress scale (PSS), and Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) were used to collect data online. Before starting the study, ethics committee approval, institutional permission, and informed consent from the nurses included were obtained. The mean BAI scores of the nurses who worked in the hospital not offering pandemic-related services were similar to those of the nurses working in the hospital that did, whereas their mean PSS scores were significantly higher. There was a significant positive correlation between PSS and BAI (P < 0.001).