Work-Related Traumatic Stress Response in Nurses Employed in COVID-19 Settings.
Maria Karanikola, Meropi Mpouzika, Elizabeth Papathanassoglou, Katerina Kaikoushi, Anna Hatzioannou, Ioannis Leontiou, Chris Livadiotis, Nicos Christophorou, Andreas Chatzittofis
Author Information
Maria Karanikola: Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol 3041, Cyprus.
Meropi Mpouzika: Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol 3041, Cyprus. ORCID
Elizabeth Papathanassoglou: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada. ORCID
Katerina Kaikoushi: Cyprus Community Mental Health Services, Famagusta 5566, Cyprus.
Anna Hatzioannou: Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol 3041, Cyprus. ORCID
Ioannis Leontiou: Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol 3041, Cyprus. ORCID
Chris Livadiotis: Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol 3041, Cyprus.
Nicos Christophorou: Limassol General Hospital, Limassol 3041, Cyprus.
Andreas Chatzittofis: Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1065, Cyprus. ORCID
Nurses may be at a higher risk of experiencing work-related traumatic stress response during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other clinicians. This study aimed to investigate the correlations between work-related trauma symptoms and demographic factors, psychosocial hazards and stress response in a census sample of nurses working in COVID-19 settings in Cyprus. In this nationwide descriptive and cross-sectional study, data were collected between April and May 2020 using a questionnaire that included sociodemographic, educational and employment and work-related variables, as well as a modified version of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) for the assessment of work-related trauma symptoms during the pandemic. Overall, 233 nurses participated (with a response rate of 61.3%) and 25.7% of them reported clinical work-related trauma symptoms (STSS-M > 55; actual scale range: 17-85). The mean value for emotional exhaustion was 7.3 (SD: 2.29; visual scale range: 1-10), while the value for distress that was caused by being avoided due to work in COVID-19 units was 6.98 (SD: 2.69; visual scale range: 1-10). Positive associations were noted between trauma symptoms and both emotional exhaustion and distress from being avoided by others due to work in a COVID-19 setting and a negative association was also found between trauma symptoms and satisfaction from organizational support variables (all < 0.002). Working in COVID-19 settings during the pandemic is a stressful experience that has been linked to psychologically traumatic symptoms Thus, supportive measures are proposed for healthcare personnel, even in countries with low COVID-19 burden.
