Stress, Anxiety, Coping and Support from Nurses as Frontline Workers Caring for Covid-19 Patients
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to recommend and develop intervention strategies to support the COVID-19 nurses as frontlines from experiencing post traumatise by comparing their level of anxiety and stress and coping capacity in selected government hospitals in the Klang Valley. Objectives: To explore frontline workers experiences, to assess nurses level of anxiety and stress in caring for COVID-19 patients, to determine the level of coping ability of nurses in caring of COVID-19 patients in relation to their demographic data and to compare nurses coping capacity in caring of COVID-19 patients among different units (ICU and wards) in two different hospitals. Design: Quantitative questionnaires survey. Setting: Intensive Care Unit, High Dependency Unit and COVID 19 wards, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Hospital Sg Buloh, Malaysia. Sample: One hundred eight (n=108) Registered Nurses caring of COVID 19 patients. Findings: Participants experienced mild level of anxiety and mild to moderate level of stress with mean scores 1.03 to 1.97 and 1.81 to 2.53 respectively. In general, correlation between level of anxiety and coping strategies was significant for items of religion and friends or family support (ρ = 0.005 and 0.353 and ρ = 0.042 and 0.049. In addition, all the other coping strategies domains and individual items reported no correlation between level of anxiety and stress. Conclusion: Experiencing or witnessing life threatening and traumatic events in life can have short-term and long-term effects on the individual. However, choosing the correct coping strategy and relevant types of support resources could mitigate the effects. In addition, support from subordinates, friends, family, organisation, government, and public could help in motivating frontline workers from this overwhelming pandemic.
References
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Salim, N., Chan, W. H., Mansor, S., Bazin, N., Amaran, S., Athif, A., Faudzi, M., Zainal, A., Huspi, S. H., Khoo, E., Hooi, J., & Shithil, S. M. (2020). COVID-19 epidemic in Malaysia: Impact of lock-down on infection dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.08.20057463
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Zakeri, M. A., Rahiminezhad, E., Salehi, F., Ganjeh, H., & Dehghan, M. (2021). Burnout, Anxiety, Stress, and Depression Among Iranian Nurses: Before and During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(November), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.789737
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Bansal, P., Bingemann, T. A., Greenhawt, M., Mosnaim, G., Nanda, A., Oppenheimer, J., Sharma, H., Stukus, D., & Shaker, M. (2020). Clinician Wellness During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Extraordinary Times and Unusual Challenges for the Allergist/Immunologist. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaip.2020.04.001
Benkouiten, S., Brouqui, P., & Gautret, P. (2014). Non-pharmaceutical interventions for the prevention of respiratory tract infections during Hajj pilgrimage. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 12(5), 429–442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2014.06.005
Cai, H., Tu, B., Ma, J., Chen, L., Fu, L., Jiang, Y., & Zhuang, Q. (2020). Psychological impact and coping strategies of frontline medical staff in Hunan between January and March 2020 during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID) in Hubei, China. Medical Science Monitor, 26, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.12659/MSM.924171
Chen, K. Y., Yang, C. M., Lien, C. H., Chiou, H. Y., Lin, M. R., Chang, H. R., & Chiu, W. T. (2013). Burnout, job satisfaction, and medical malpractice among physicians. International Journal of Medical Sciences, 10(11), 1471–1478. https://doi.org/10.7150/ijms.6743
De Kock, J. H., Latham, H. A., Leslie, S. J., Grindle, M., Munoz, S. A., Ellis, L., Polson, R., & O’Malley, C. M. (2021). A rapid review of the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of healthcare workers: implications for supporting psychological well-being. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10070-3
Gupta, S., & Sahoo, S. (2020). Pandemic and mental health of the front-line healthcare workers: a review and implications in the Indian context amidst COVID-19. General Psychiatry, 33(5), e100284. https://doi.org/10.1136/gpsych-2020-100284
Hashim, S., Ayub, Z. N., Mohamed, Z., Hasan, H., Harun, A., Ismail, N., Rahman, Z. A., Suraiya, S., Naing, N. N., & Aziz, A. A. (2016). The prevalence and preventive measures of the respiratory illness among malaysian pilgrims in 2013 hajj season. Journal of Travel Medicine, 23(2), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/tav019
Htay, M. N. N., Marzo, R. R., Bahari, R., AlRifai, A., Kamberi, F., El-Abasiri, R. A., Nyamache, J. M., Hlaing, H. A., Hassanein, M., Moe, S., Abas, A. L., & Su, T. T. (2021). How healthcare workers are coping with mental health challenges during COVID-19 pandemic? - A cross-sectional multi-countries study. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 11(May), 100759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cegh.2021.100759
Kang, L., Ma, S., Chen, M., Yang, J., Wang, Y., Li, R., Yao, L., Bai, H., Cai, Z., Xiang Yang, B., Hu, S., Zhang, K., Wang, G., Ma, C., & Liu, Z. (2020). Impact on mental health and perceptions of psychological care among medical and nursing staff in Wuhan during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease outbreak: A cross-sectional study. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.03.028
Mohd, N., Mohamed, R., & Ramli, D. (2021). View of Exploratory Study of Nurses as Frontliners in Caring for COVID-19 Patients. 10, 14–22. https://202.45.132.61/index.php/ESSS/article/view/6018/3206
Mukhamedyarova, A., Rakhypbekov, T., Dauletyarova, M., Zhunussova, D., Tsigengagel, O., & Khismetova, Z. (2021). Measures to strengthen the role of primary care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A concept analysis. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 9(2), 534–540. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.7204
Rathnayake, S., Dasanayake, D., Maithreepala, S. D., Ekanayake, R., & Basnayake, P. L. (2021). Nurses’ perspectives of taking care of patients with Coronavirus disease 2019: A phenomenological study. PLoS ONE, 16(9 September), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257064
Sahimi, H. M. S., Mohd Daud, T. I., Chan, L. F., Shah, S. A., Rahman, F. H. A., & Nik Jaafar, N. R. (2021). Depression and Suicidal Ideation in a Sample of Malaysian Healthcare Workers: A Preliminary Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(April), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.658174
Salim, N., Chan, W. H., Mansor, S., Bazin, N., Amaran, S., Athif, A., Faudzi, M., Zainal, A., Huspi, S. H., Khoo, E., Hooi, J., & Shithil, S. M. (2020). COVID-19 epidemic in Malaysia: Impact of lock-down on infection dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.08.20057463
Santomauro, D. F., Mantilla Herrera, A. M., Shadid, J., Zheng, P., Ashbaugh, C., Pigott, D. M., Abbafati, C., Adolph, C., Amlag, J. O., Aravkin, A. Y., Bang-Jensen, B. L., Bertolacci, G. J., Bloom, S. S., Castellano, R., Castro, E., Chakrabarti, S., Chattopadhyay, J., Cogen, R. M., Collins, J. K., … Ferrari, A. J. (2021). Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet, 398(10312), 1700–1712. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(21)02143-7
Sun, N., Shi, S., Jiao, D., Song, R., Ma, L., Wang, H., Wang, C., Wang, Z., You, Y., Liu, S., & Wang, H. (2020). A Qualitative Study on the Psychological Experience of Caregivers of COVID-19 Patients. American Journal of Infection Control. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.03.018
Uphoff, E. P., Lombardo, C., Johnston, G., Weeks, L., Rodgers, M., Dawson, S., Seymour, C., Kousoulis, A. A., & Churchill, R. (2021). Mental health among healthcare workers and other vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic and other coronavirus outbreaks: A rapid systematic review. PLoS ONE, 16(8 August), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254821
Waliul Hasanat, M., Hoque, A., Afrin Shikha, F., Anwar, M., Bakar Abdul Hamid, A., & Hon Tat, H. (2020). The Impact of Coronavirus (Covid-19) on E-Business in Malaysia. Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3(1).
World Health Organization. (2020). Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and considerations during severe shortages. Who, April, 1–28. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331695
Yin, X., & Zeng, L. (2020). A study on the psychological needs of nurses caring for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 from the perspective of the existence, relatedness, and growth theory. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 7(2), 157–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2020.04.002
Zakeri, M. A., Rahiminezhad, E., Salehi, F., Ganjeh, H., & Dehghan, M. (2021). Burnout, Anxiety, Stress, and Depression Among Iranian Nurses: Before and During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(November), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.789737
Zhang, Yingfei, & Ma, Z. F. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health and Quality of Life among Local Residents in Liaoning Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), 2381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072381
Zhang, Yuxia, Wang, C., Pan, W., Zheng, J., Gao, J., Huang, X., Cai, S., Zhai, Y., Latour, J. M., & Zhu, C. (2020). Stress, Burnout, and Coping Strategies of Frontline Nurses During the COVID-19 Epidemic in Wuhan and Shanghai, China. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11(October), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.565520
Published
2022-06-01
How to Cite
MOHD YUNOS, Norhanaza; MOHAMED, Rasidah; RAMLI, Darmawan.
Stress, Anxiety, Coping and Support from Nurses as Frontline Workers Caring for Covid-19 Patients.
Asian Journal of Behavioural Sciences, [S.l.], v. 4, n. 2, p. 34-44, june 2022.
ISSN 2710-5865.
Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/ajbs/article/view/18341>. Date accessed: 20 sep. 2024.
Section
Articles
