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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1437766

Social Distancing Mediates Clinical Work and Depression: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nurses

Provisionally accepted
Shu-Chen Chen Shu-Chen Chen 1Tony Szu-Hsien Lee Tony Szu-Hsien Lee 1*En Chao En Chao 2
  • 1 National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan
  • 2 National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan

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

    Background: The psychological well-being of nurses, during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a critical area of concern. This study examines the psychological impact of the pandemic on nurses, focusing on the mediating role of perceived social distance between work units and depression.Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design with respondent driven sampling. Anonymous questionnaire consisting of demographics, perceived social distancing and depression were distributed through email, Facebook, LINE, and other online platforms by key informants of nurses. A total of 1,064 volunteered questionnaires were collected, consisting of 1,032 females and 32 males.Results: Data showed that 517 (48.9%) nurses may have depression. Results from the structure equation modeling indicated that perception of social distancing mediates between individuals in units of care and depression, while unit and tenure of nursing work were negatively associated with depression. Conclusion:The study findings support that perceived social distancing due to COVID-19 pandemic from others towards nurses may have influential impact on elevated depression, especially for nurses worked in the acute critical care. Thus, emotional support should be emphasized, and avenues for stress relief should be provided as well as creating a supportive workplace environment is crucial to nurses and patient safety.

    Keywords: COVID-19, Depression, Nursing, Social distancing, Tenure

    Received: 24 May 2024; Accepted: 31 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Lee and Chao. 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: Tony Szu-Hsien Lee, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei City, Taiwan

    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.