Relationship between work stressors and mental health in frontline nurses exposed to COVID-19: A structural equation model analysis

The current cross-sectional study aimed to explore the relationship between work stressors and mental health in frontline nurses exposed to COVID-19. Participants were recruited from 16 general hospitals in Anhui province from February 2020 to March 2020. The general sociodemographic questionnaire, Nurse Job Stressors Scale, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, NEO Five-Factor Inventory, Perceived Social Support Scale, and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale were used in this study. Based on 723 valid questionnaires retrieved (100%), the total mean scores of work stressors and mental health of frontline nurses were (94.38 ± 23.42) and (22.81 ± 7.16), respectively. The results of the structural equation model showed that work stressors had an indirect positive effect (β = 0.484, P < 0.01), social support had a direct negative effect (β = −0.934, P < 0.01), personality traits had a direct positive effect (β = 0.209, P < 0.01), and positive coping style had both direct positive (β = 0.246, P < 0.01) and indirect negative effects (β = −0.873, P < 0.01) on frontline nurses’ mental health. In conclusion, nursing staff can reinforce positive influences by accepting social support, adopting positive coping methods, and weakening negative influences factors to reduce or buffer their negative mental states and further reduce work stress.