AUTHOR=Galletta Maura , Piras Ilenia , Finco Gabriele , Meloni Federico , D'Aloja Ernesto , Contu Paolo , Campagna Marcello , Portoghese Igor 

TITLE=Worries, Preparedness, and Perceived Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Nurses' Mental Health

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.566700

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.566700

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Introduction. In times of global public health emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses stand at the front line working closely in contact with infected individuals. Being actively engaged in fighting against COVID-19 not only exposes nurses to a high risk of being infected, but can have a serious impact on their mental health because they are facing with an excessive work and emotional burden in many front-line operating contexts.
Purpose. The aim of the study was to analyze how risk factors such as perceived impact, preparedness to the pandemic, and worries were associated with mental health outcomes (crying, rumination and stress) in nurses.
Methods. A cross-sectional study design was performed via online questionnaire survey. Participants included 894 registered nurses from Italy. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. To analyze the relationship between risk factors and health outcomes, multiple binary logistic regression was carried. 
Results. Increased job stress was related to high rumination on pandemic (OR=4.04, p<0.001), job demand (OR=2.00, p<0.001), impact on job role (OR=2.56, p<0.001), watching coworkers crying at work (OR=1.50, p<0.05), non-working concerns (OR=2.28, p<0.001), and worry to get infected (OR=2.05, p<0.001). Job stress (OR=2.52, p<0.01), rumination (OR=2.28, p<0.001), and watching colleagues crying (OR=7.92, p<0.001) were associated with crying at work. Rumination was associated with caring for patients who died of COVID-19 (OR=1.54, p<0.05), job demand (OR=1.70, p<0.01), watching colleagues crying (OR=1.81, p<0.001), non-working worries (OR=1.57, p<0.05), and worry to get infected (OR=2.02, p<0.001).
Conclusions. The psychological impact that this pandemic may cause at medium/long term could be greater than an economical one. This is the main challenge that health organizations will have to face next time. This study highlights that perceived impact and worries about the pandemic affect nurses’ mental health and can impact on their overall effectiveness during the pandemic. Measures to enhance protection for nurses and to lessen the risk for depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress should be planned promptly.