Psychological symptoms and coping strategies of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia

Introduction: Since the outbreak of Coronavirus worldwide, the working conditions of medical personnel, specifical nurses, have changed dramatically. Therefore, medical staff has undergone more physical and psychological distress than before. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression and coping strategies in nurses who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second aim was to assess the influence of coping mechanisms on the occurrence of the symptoms. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted during April and May 2020. Through the convenience sampling method, 76 nurses involved in caring for COVID-19 patients at Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad city (the second populous city of Iran) were selected. They were evaluated by Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and Billings and Moos coping responses inventories. Mann-Whitney test, Spearman correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis were used through SPSS 16.0. Results: The findings demonstrated that nurses suffered severe mental problems. Symptoms of stress were discovered in 48.7%, anxiety in 77.6%, and depression in 60.5% of the nurses. The primary strategy applied by them was emotion-focused types. Regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between psychological distresses and emotion-based approaches and a negative correlation between problem-focused skills and incidence of depression. Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak has caused critical conditions and, as a result, psychological pressures on nursing staff. Training on problem-solving strategies in the nursing community would help to cope with such health-related crises.