Perceived stress and resilience levels during the COVID-19 pandemic among critical care nurses in Saudi Arabia: a correlational cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The continuous spreading of the respiratory coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has been a threat to global health, especially among those fighting directly against it. Nurses who work in critical care have reported very high levels of stress during these extreme circumstances. It is very important to measure the level of stress and resilience among these nurses in order to diminish further psychological distress. This study aims to assess the levels of perceived stress and resilience among critical care nurses. Methodology In this correlational cross-sectional study, critical care nurses (n = 139) were recruited by gatekeepers in a governmental university hospital in Riyadh City between 12 March and 8 April 2021 to complete an online questionnaire. The measurement tools used in this study were the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 (CD-RISC-10) and the Perceived Stress Scale of COVID-19 (PSS-10 items). Data were analyzed using a descriptive and inferential analysis to calculate frequencies to determine the distribution of stress and resilience, and multiple regression was applied to assess the relationship between them. Results One hundred and thirty-nine critical care nurse (64%) responded. The perceived levels of stress reported were: no stress (8%; n = 12), mild stress (14%; n = 21), moderate stress (38%; n = 55), high stress (22%; n = 32), and severe stress (18%; n = 26). The levels of resilience reported were: very low (8%; n = 11), low (18%; n = 26), moderate (42%; n = 62), and high (32%; n = 47). The level of stress and resilience reported by the majority of critical care nurses was moderate; there was no significant correlation between COVID-19-related stress and resilience among the critical care nurses. Severe levels of stress were mostly reported among critical care nurses working in the NICU and high levels of stress were reported among those working in the emergency department. The nurses reported being highly confident that they were able to handle personal epidemic related problems with a mean score of 2.36. This reflects having a high level of resilience (42%; n = 62) and was significantly associated with years of experience as a nurse (p < 0.0027). Conclusion Although COVID-19 cases had declined significantly during the study period in Saudi Arabia, the majority of nurses were still experiencing moderate to high levels of stress about the epidemic, but were, at the same time, moderately resilient. Continued monitoring of the stress levels of this high-risk group is highly essential. Conducting more research is needed to measure the effectiveness of psychosocial support interventions.

Nurses’ Job Burnout and Resilience in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

“…In previous research, demographic characteristics, such as age, marital status, years of experience, educational level, and religion, were found to be associated with levels of resilience. [50][51][52][53] According to various studies, nurses with more education and experience reported higher levels of resilience because they had a stronger ability to adapt to unanticipated conditions and had learned to cope successfully with the challenges of their work. 52,53 Furthermore, these studies found that personal support systems, such as spouses, children, and religion, improved levels of resilience.…”

Examination of the Relationship Between Thanatophobia and Resilience Levels of Nurses Working in Intensive Care and Palliative Care Units

“…Kösedağ (2021) determined that 150 intensive care nurses experienced intense fear of death. Almegewly et al (2022) found that 139 intensive care nurses had high levels of stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak. Studies show that nurses working in intensive care and palliative care units experience stress, anxiety and fear of death.…”

“…Studies show that nurses working in intensive care and palliative care units experience stress, anxiety and fear of death. Necessary precautions should be taken to prevent the nurses working in these units from experiencing burnout [11][12][13]. Han et al (2022) conducted a qualitative study with intensive care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that nurses had serious emotional reactions, both physical and emotional, and needed support related to psychological resilience from multiple sources [14].…”

“…The scale was developed by Friborg et al and was translated into Turkish and veri ed for validity and reliability by Basim and Çetin [18,19]. It contains 33 items and 5 subdimensions, which are 'structural style' (3,9,15,21), 'perception of future' (2,8,14,20), 'family coherence' (5,11,17,23,26,32), 'perception of self' (1,7,13,19,28,31), 'social competence' (4,10,16,22,25,29) and 'social resources' (6, 12,18,24,27,30,33). If increased scores are to indicate increased resilience, the answer boxes should be rated from 1 to 5 from left to right.…”

Features of Heart Failure in Patients Who Have Contracted a Coronavirus Infection

“…Що більший "COVID-стрес", то менше часу займає самообслуговування і вищий ризик вигорання [21]. При цьому важливим є знання рівня стресу для зменшення подальшого психологічного навантаження [22].…”