Psychological impact of coronavirus disease on nurses exposed and non-exposed to disease

INTRODUCTION: Nurses who have direct contact with patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) and are involved in diagnosis, treatment, and care are at risk for serious psychological health problems. PURPOSE: To examine the psychological impact of COVID-19 on nurses who are in direct contact with COVID-19 patients and compared them with other nurses, not in direct contact with COVID-19 patients. METHODS: A descriptive comparative cross-sectional was conducted on a convenience sample of 364 nurses working at three hospitals in Jordan to collect their socio-demographic data and scores on the Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale, 22-item Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and Insomnia Severity Index via Google form questionnaires. Descriptive analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test, independent t-test, and multivariable logistic regression with a significance level of p-value < 0.05 were used to analyze the study data. RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress symptoms were 34.1%, 48.9%, 44%, 33.8%, and 67.3%, respectively. Depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia were significantly more prevalent in the exposed group of nurses than in the non-exposed ones. However, no significant difference was found between the groups regarding post-traumatic stress symptoms. Exposure to COVID-19 and the existence of comorbidities were associated with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress. CONCLUSION: Nurses who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients have a higher risk of psychological disorders than nurses who do not. Psychological interventions need to be implemented to enhance nurses’ psychological well-being.