AUTHOR=Wang Juan , Zheng Zhongren , Tang Yingxue , Zhang Rui , Lu Qinghua , Wang Bin , Sun Qihua 

TITLE=Psychological distress and its influencing factors among psychiatric nurses in China: A cross-sectional study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.948786

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2022.948786

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Psychiatric nurses often face abuse, attacks, escape, suicides, and other situations related to the care of patients with mental disorders, which are more likely to induce psychological distress.</p></sec><sec><title>Aims</title><p>This study aimed to examine the relationship between coping styles and psychological distress among Chinese psychiatric nurses in Shandong and the significance of sleep quality as a mediating factor.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>A total of 812 psychiatric nurses in Shandong, China, were investigated using the Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and self-compiled general information questionnaire.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Psychological distress was detected in 571 psychiatric nurses (70.3%). The psychological distress of psychiatric nurses was significantly different with respect to professional title (χ<sup>2</sup> = 10.627, <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05) and shift work (χ<sup>2</sup> = 9.120, <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). Psychological distress positively correlated with negative coping style (<italic>r</italic> = 0.266, <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01) and sleep quality (PSQIT) (<italic>r</italic> = 0.532, <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between psychological distress and all dimensions of sleep quality (<italic>r</italic> = 0.158–0.456, <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05). Professional title, positive coping style, negative coping style, sleep quality (PSQIT), subjective sleep quality, sleep disorder and daytime dysfunction predicted psychological distress in psychiatric nurses (<italic>R</italic><sup>2</sup> = 0.363, <italic>F</italic> = 65.343, <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). The relationship between negative coping style and psychological distress was partially mediated by sleep quality, with the mediating effect accounting for 37.97% of the total effect.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>Psychiatric nurses have a high rate of psychological distress, which is closely related to coping styles, and sleep quality has a certain regulatory effect.</p></sec>