Levels of resilience, anxiety and depression in nurses working in respiratory clinical areas during the COVID pandemic

Abstract

Background The delivery of healthcare during the COVID pandemic has had a significant impact on front line staff. Nurses who work with respiratory patients, have been at the forefront of the pandemic response. Lessons can be learnt from these nurses’ experiences in order to support these nurses during the existing pandemic and retain and mobilise this skilled workforce for future pandemics. Methods This study explores UK nurses’ experiences of working in a respiratory environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. An e-survey was distributed via professional respiratory societies the survey included a resilience scale, the GAD7 (anxiety) and the PHQ9 (depression) tools. Demographic data was collected on age, gender, ethnicity, nursing experience and background, clinical role in the pandemic, and home-life and work balance. Results Two hundred and fifty-five responses were received for the survey, predominately women (89%, 226/255), aged over 35 (79%, 202/255). Nearly 21% (40/191) experiencing moderate to severe or severe symptoms of anxiety. Similar levels are seen for depression (15.7%, 30/191). 18.9% (34/180) had a low or very low resilience score. Regression analysis showed that for both depression and anxiety variables, age and years of qualification provided the best model fit. Younger nurses with less experience have higher levels of anxiety and depression and had lower resilience. Conclusion This cohort experienced significant levels of anxiety and depression, with moderate to high levels of resilience. Support mechanisms and interventions need to be put in place to support all nurses during pandemic outbreaks, particularly younger or less experienced staff.

Resilience as a moderator in the relationship between burnout and subjective well-being among medical workers in Serbia during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The findings of this research do not exclude the possibility that there is an opposite direction of action in which favorable subjective well-being acts so that burnout is weaker and vice versa, that less favorable subjective well-being implies the experience of greater burnout. It has already been pointed out that subjective well-being can be understood both as a consequence and as a factor of resilience 9 , as well as in those studies where it is suggested that burnout is negatively correlated with worker resilience 4,12,[24][25][26] .…”

“…Also, the studies indicate that a negative correlation between burnout and resilience also exists among medical technicians 13,24 . A higher degree of resilience in medical technicians implies better coping skills at work, a higher level of self-efficacy and better social support at work, a lower level of exhaustion at work, as well as a lower level of anxiety and depression 25,26 .…”

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of UK healthcare workers

“…Being female, young, 'front line', and working in Wuhan, were factors most associated with severe psychiatric symptoms. 11 Since then, COVID-19 has also had a profound effect on the UK health system, and although some recent work has shown there is a significant impact on UK HCW mental well-being, [12][13][14] there is a need for additional and more comprehensive research to fully characterise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemicand this objective warrants urgent attention. 15 Identifying factors associated with working during COVID-19 that are detrimental to mental health can provide targets through which their impact on HCW mental well-being may be mediated.…”

Tired, Worried and Burned Out, but Still Resilient: A Cross-Sectional Study of Mental Health Workers in the UK during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4457 2 of 14 in the UK living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), which represents a small percentage of the total population [4,5] and the 2003 SARS epidemic did not cause the devastating health impact that many feared [6]. In addition, the Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic resulted in significantly fewer fatalities compared to COVID-19 [7] and did not cause such disruption to the way of life or the healthcare system.…”