Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Licensed Full-Time Practicing Nurses Undertaking Part-Time Studies in Higher Education: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Frontline nurses face an unpreceded situation with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and many report suffering from physical and psychological stress. This online, cross-sectional survey used questionnaires, such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, stress-related questions, and Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE), to determine the psychological impact of COVID-19 on licensed full-time practicing nurses undertaking part-time studies in higher education. Recruitment commenced from August to September 2020; 385 students were approached, and 124 completed the survey (response rate: 32%). Most of the respondents were frontline nurses working in public sectors (89.5%), 29% of whom reported symptoms of depression, and 61.3% reported mild to severe levels of anxiety. The GAD-7 was significantly associated with the resilience score (β = −0.188; p = 0.008) and exhaustion (β = 0.612; p < 0.001). The PHQ-2 was significantly associated with ‘anxiety about infection’ (β = 0.071; p = 0.048). A lower anxiety level was significantly associated with a higher resilience level and a lower level of exhaustion, and a lower depression level was significantly associated with a lower anxiety about infection. Nursing programs incorporating resilience building may mitigate psychological distress of the study population.