Anxiety of Nurses to support Wuhan in fighting against COVID-19 Epidemic and its Correlation With Work Stress and Social Support.

Mo, Yuanyuan; Deng, Lan; Zhang, Liyan; Lang, Qiuyan; Pang, He; Liao, Chunyan; Wang, Nannan; Tao, Pinyue; Huang, Huiqiao

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate the anxiety of nurses who are supporting Wuhan in fighting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and explore relevant influencing factors. BACKGROUND The COVID-19 outbreak pose a major threat to public health worldwide. Nurses play an important role in this epidemic. However, available data on the mental health among these nurses is limited. DESIGN A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was performed. METHODS An online questionnaire was completed by 200 nurses who went to Wuhan to help to fight against COVID-19 from another province. Data collection tools including the Chinese version of the Stress Overload Scale (SOS), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). Descriptive, single-factor correlation and multiple regression analyses were used in exploring related influencing factors. Reporting followed the STROBE guidelines. RESULTS The score of SAS, SOS and GSES are range from 20 - 80, 22 - 110 and 10 - 40 respectively, the SAS (31.79±7.32) and SOS (40.19±12.92) and GSES scores (24.83±6.60) were obtained. Anxiety was positively correlated with stress (r=0.679, P<0.001) but negatively correlated with self-efficacy (r=-0.326, p<0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that professional qualification, sleep, stress, and self-efficacy were the main factors affecting nurse anxiety (p=0.006, <0.001, <0.001, 0.039, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Nurses who are supporting Wuhan in fighting against COVID-19 were under a low level of anxiety. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The current study suggests work stress reduction minght be a key factor in reducing anxiety and maintaining mental health to support nurses who are fighting against COVID-19 infection.