Evaluation of Relationship between Psychological Problems with Nurses' Fatigue During the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) Pandemic

Abstract

Providing care during the Covid-19 pandemic is different and more complex than usual circumstances for nurses, and can potentially lead to fatigue. In this study, the rate of fatigue and related factors among nurses during the Covid-19 crisis was evaluated. A descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2020 in Iran. The present study sample comprised nurses working with patients admitted to different hospital wards for Covid-19. The nurses' fatigue questionnaire, which assesses physical, psychological, and emotional fatigue; Depression, Anxiety Stress Scales-21, and a checklist of demographic variables were used to collect information. Data were analyzed using spss21 software. The total number of participants in the study was 229; of these, 129 (56.3%) were women, 158 (69.0%) were married, and most were in the age group of 24-29 years. The mean scores of total fatigue, emotional fatigue, psychological fatigue and physical fatigue were 64.2, 18.7, 20.4 and 24.8, respectively. The regression model showed that depression, stress, female gender and age were predictors of fatigue and explained 49% of changes and variance of fatigue (F = 43.71, p = 0.001, r = 0.70, r2 = 0.49).The level of fatigue and its relationship with anxiety, stress, and depression in this study showed that Nurses need significant support during this epidemic. Therefore, hospital managers should recommend mental health interventions, nurses' rotation in different hospital wards, as well as reduced work hours and shifts.