The Effect of Nurses' Death Anxiety on Life Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of nurses’ death anxiety on life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 411 nurses in Turkey. Data were collected online through Google Forms using a sociodemographic form, the Revised Death Anxiety Scale (RDAS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Percentages, means, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and hierarchical linear regression models were used to analyze the data. The nurses’ mean age was 28.11 (SD = 6.27) years. More than half of the nurses stated that there were COVID-19 patients in the clinic where they worked (56.0%) and that they were afraid to provide care to patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (54.5%). Their mean RDAS total score was 57.33 (SD = 16.20), indicating moderate death anxiety, and their mean SWLS total score was 2.58 (SD = 0.82), indicating a low level of life satisfaction. Sociodemographic variables accounted for 8.8% of the variance. Death anxiety was associated with life satisfaction ( β = − 0.118, p < 0.05). Model 3, which included all of the analyzed independent variables, explained 17% of the variance in life satisfaction ( R 2 = 0.171, p < 0.001). This study showed that death anxiety adversely affects life satisfaction. Higher death anxiety among nurses was associated with lower satisfaction with life. Based on the findings, we recommend providing more psychological and communication support to nurses and implementing systematic physical and psychological evaluations of nurses to facilitate early intervention.

Death anxiety, moral courage, and resilience in nursing students who care for COVID-19 patients: a cross-sectional study

“…The studies of Yiğit & Açıkgöz (2021) and Karabağ Aydın & Fidan (2021) also demonstrated that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses had been exposed to significant levels of death anxiety. There was an indirect relationship between resilience and anxiety, which agrees with the present study's findings [ 31 , 32 ]. Likewise, Zukhra et al (2021) found that nursing students have experienced high anxiety and psychological stress levels during the current pandemic.…”

Being a Nurse at the Ground Zero of Care in Turkey During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

“…At the beginning of the pandemic, there were many negativities, including uncertainties about the process, a high number of COVID-19 cases and mortality rates, demanding quarantine practices, the absence of a proven treatment for the disease, a high risk of transmission of the virus, lack of quality equipment, and the unpreparedness of healthcare systems and professionals to deal with the pandemic process. The fear and anxiety experienced by the nurses could be attributed to the feeling of isolation they have in bearing the brunt of responsibilities imposed on healthcare professionals, the self-awareness they have of being at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic, and the health risks that the pandemic poses to them and their families (Aydın & Hursit, 2021 ; Catania et al, 2021 ; Celik et al, 2020 ). Similar to the present study, other studies have reported that nurses may feel stress, anxiety, anger and disappointment due to lack of known treatments for the virus, their high risk of contamination, insufficient PPE and other required materials, and uncertainty about the future (Lau & Chan, 2005 ).…”

Loneliness and Satisfaction with Life among Nursing Students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…It is associated with pursuing important goals, whose attainment, or even the path to them, can be a source of satisfaction [ 22 , 23 ]. There are many literature reports on the evaluation of satisfaction with life, which results from a comparison of one’s own situation with one’s own standards [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. It can be presumed that life satisfaction is one of the main predictors of loneliness, considering the variety of applied restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and cultural conditions in different countries, as well as the assumptions of loneliness and life satisfaction theories [ 27 ].…”

“…Karabağ Aydın and Fidan showed in a Turkish study that a fear of death had a negative impact on satisfaction with life during the COVID-19 pandemic. A higher level of fear of death among nurses was associated with a lower level of satisfaction with life [ 26 ]. It was confirmed in another study that anxiety, mental health and social isolation were the main, statistically significant factors with an indirect impact on the quality of life of Turkish nurses [ 31 ].…”