Psychological Distress and Anxiety among Nursing Professionals with Fear of Infection of COVID-19 Omicron Variant: A Cross Sectional E-survey Study

Abstract

Background Contagious diseases are recognized as the most serious risks to population health. Even with the breakthroughs in medicine, there are still substantial causes of mortality and illness. During the early aftermath of the virus outbreak, the mental health of healthcare workers was severely impacted. Stress and anxiety appeared in the early stages of the pandemic, while symptoms of sadness, psychophysiological, and post-traumatic stress appeared later and remained for a long period, resulting in substantial repercussions. Aim To observe the psychological distress and anxiety among nursing professionals with fear of infection from COVID-19 omicron variant. Methods In this online cross-sectional survey study a self-made questionnaire was distributed to 246 nurses across the country using a snowball sampling method. Among 246 participants 210 were males and 36 were females between 18 and 38 years of age. Results The results of the study support the notion that the nursing professionals face psychological distress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 omicron variant. Conclusions The study was conducted on nursing professionals who were working in the COVID-19 ward and suffering from more psychological distress and anxiety.