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Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms among Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study
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Faezeh Sahbaei    , Jamileh Mohtashami , Naghme Derakhshani |
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Abstract: (23 Views) |
Background and Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed nurses to repeated traumatic and stressful experiences, including direct contact with infected patients, fear of infection, prolonged workload, and exposure to severe illness and death. This study intends to evaluate post-traumatic stress symptoms among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 160 nurses were selected by simple random sampling from five hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Mississippi Scale for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (M-PTSD) , and the 10-item Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (PTSS-10). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 26.
Results: Most nurses (76.9%) had moderate PTSD symptom, 17.5% had severe symptoms, and 5.6% had mild symptoms. On the PTSS-10 scale, 69.4% of the nurses obtained a score of above 5. Also, moderate symptoms were most frequent for re-experiencing/avoidance (60.62%), increased physical arousal (63.12%), and the behavioral domain (60.00%). No statistically significant differences were found between the nurses in terms of PTSD subscales or total score according to personal history of COVID-19 infection (p≥ .05).
Conclusion: A substantial burden of post-traumatic stress symptoms was observed among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The absence of a significant association between PTSD and history of personal infection suggests that broader occupational and pandemic-related stressors may have contributed to this psychological burden. Routine screening and organizational/psychological support should be incorporated into pandemic preparation trainings.
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| Keywords: Stress disorders, post-traumatic, COVID-19, nurses, pandemics. |
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Full-Text [PDF 361 kb]
(11 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/11/5 | Accepted: 2024/10/19 | Published: 2024/10/19
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