Psychosocial burden and associated factors among nurses in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a retrospective survey in Germany

BMC Nursing

Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen¹  Andrea Budnick²  Raphael Kohl²  Christian Hering²  Annabell Gangnus²  Paul Gellert²  Adelheid Kuhlmey² 

[1] Deparment of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany;Institute of Medical Sociology and Rehabilitation Science, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, Virchowweg 22, 10117, Berlin, Germany;

关键词: Nurses;    Care homes;    Nursing homes;    COVID-19;    Psychosocial burden;    Depression;    Anxiety;    Stress;    SARS-CoV-2;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12912-022-00807-3

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCare homes were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although high levels of psychosocial burden (i.e., anxiety, depression and stress) during the pandemic have been described for healthcare workers in hospitals, evidence on the psychosocial burden for nurses in care homes during the pandemic is scarce.MethodsA total of 811 nurses participated in a retrospective online survey between November 2020 and February 2021. Information about the COVID-19 situation (i.e., working demands, COVID-19 cases in their facility, and COVID-19-related burden) of nurses in German care homes during the first wave of the pandemic (March 2020 to June 2020) was gathered. The Stress Scale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (SDASS-21), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2 (GAD-2), the Patients-Health-Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), and the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ) were used to screen for psychosocial burden.ResultsAmong nurses, 94.2% stated that working demands since the COVID-19 pandemic increased. Further, 59.1% showed clinically relevant levels of either stress, anxiety, and/or depression. Multiple regression analysis showed significant associations between COVID-19-related burden and qualification (p < .01), dissatisfaction with COVID-19 management of care home manager (p < .05), COVID-19-related anxiety (p < .001), and dementia as a focus of care (p < .05). Stress, depression, and anxiety showed associations with COVID-19 related burden at work (p < .01), COVID-19-related anxiety (p < .001), social support (p < .01), and sense of community (p < .05). Stress was also associated with COVID-19 cases among residents (p < .05), and size of care home (p < .05).ConclusionShort- and long-term strategies (i.e., psychosocial counseling, mandatory team meetings, more highly qualified nurses, additional training) in the work environment of nursing, in crises, but beyond, should be encouraged to reduce the burden on nursing staff in care homes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY