Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1480969
This article is part of the Research Topic The Intersection of Psychology, Healthy Behaviors, and its Outcomes View all 26 articles

Trends and Determinants of Nurses' Mental Health Following the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: A Longitudinal, Comparative Study Over a Two-Year Period

Provisionally accepted
Yan Liu Yan Liu 1,2Yifei Lin Yifei Lin 2,3Wenyao Cui Wenyao Cui 1Xianlin Gu Xianlin Gu 4,5,6Youlin Long Youlin Long 6Wenjie Liu Wenjie Liu 1Ga Liao Ga Liao 7Liang Du Liang Du 4,6,8Jin Huang Jin Huang 2,9*
  • 1 Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
  • 3 Health Management Center, General Practice Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
  • 4 Medical Device Regulatory Research and Evaluation Centre, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 5 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 6 Chinese Evidence-Based Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 7 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
  • 8 West China Medical Publishers, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
  • 9 Health Management Center, General Practice Medical Center, Medical Device Regulatory Research and Evaluation Center, Chinese Evidence-Based Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has placed nurses at the forefront of healthcare, exposing them to various mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However the long-term effects and risk factors of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses' mental health are unknown. The objective of our study is to investigate the enduring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological distress and PTSD of nurses, while also identifying the factors that influence these outcomes.To investigate this question, we conducted a self-reported questionnaire survey of 8785 registered nurses recruited using snowball sampling methodology from 22 provinces in China, at five time points (T0-T4). At all times, we took measures of general health, while at the last four times we also measured PTSD. And we used logistic regression analysis to explore their impacts.The incidence of whole levels psychological distress among nurses was 27.7% at T0, peaking at 57.6% at T4. For severe psychological distress, it began at 5.5% at T0 and rose to 9.5% at T4. PTSD rates among nurses were recorded at 7.8% in T1, reaching a maximum of 14.7% in T4. They all got progressively worse in the volatility. In all times, coping strategies are independent factors for various levels of psychological distress and PTSD, while social support is a key factor for severe psychological distress and PTSD.Our findings indicated a gradual deterioration in the mental health of nurses following the COVID-19 outbreak. In all instances, coping strategies exhibit an independent correlation with all grades of psychological distress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whereas social support emerges as an independent protective factor mitigating the risk of severe psychological distress and PTSD.

    Keywords: COVID-19, Pandemics, Nurses, psychological distress, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, longitudinal study

    Received: 24 Aug 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Liu, Lin, Cui, Gu, Long, Liu, Liao, Du and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jin Huang, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.