Factors Affecting Secondary Traumatic Stress of Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients in South Korea

Abstract

The secondary traumatic stress (STS) of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients is expected to be high, and it can adversely affect patient care. The purpose of this study was to examine the degree of STS of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients, and we identified various factors that influence STS. This study followed a descriptive design. The data of 136 nurses who had provided direct care to COVID-19 patients from 5 September to 26 September 2020 were collected online. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors influencing STS. Participants experienced moderate levels of STS. The regression model of Model 1 was statistically significant (F = 6.21, p < 0.001), and the significant factors influencing STS were the duration of care for patients with COVID-19 for more than 30 days (β = 0.28, p < 0.001) and working in an undesignated COVID-19 hospital (β = 0.21, p = 0.038). In Model 2, the factor influencing STS was the support of a friend in the category of social support (β = −0.21, p = 0.039). The nurses caring for COVID-19 patients are experiencing a persistent and moderate level of STS. This study can be used as basic data to treat and prevent STS.

Secondary traumatic stress and dissociative coping strategies in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: The protective role of resilience

“…There is a small number of studies showing that healthcare professionals during current pandemic experience moderate to high levels of STS ( Lee et al, 2021 ; Ranieri et al, 2021 ; Vagni et al, 2020 ). Contact with COVID-19 patients referred to as an aggravating factor for STS ( Orrù et al, 2021 .…”

Professional Quality of Life Among Nurses: Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress: A Multisite Study

“…They are at risk of diseases since they are providing care for nearly 24 h a day. Nurses are also subjected to a variety of mental strains and developing different psychological disorders as a result of caring ( Lee et al, 2021 ).…”

Frontline nurses' burnout and its associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

“…In South Korea, the studies related to psychological impact among nurses mostly reported only the mediating effects between burnout and self-efficacy, job performance, and emotional labors ( Kim et al, 2022 ; Lim et al, 2022 ), and identified factors affecting stress, not burnout ( Lee, Shin, & Hong, 2021 ), or explored the experiences of nurses working in COVID-19-designated hospital ( Lee & Lee, 2020 ). In addition, Kim and Lee's (2021) study compared the level of burnout between nurses with and without COVID-19–related tasks (56.0 % vs 31.5 %) excluding the factors affecting burnout in 2020, and the level of burnout is likely to mildly evolve over time ( Teo et al, 2021 ).…”