Perceived Stress and Psychological Distress among Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The advent of COVID-19 has significantly affected healthcare workers’ mental health. This study was conducted to investigate the perceived stress and its relationship with psychological distress among nurses who took care of patients with the COVID-19 disease. This cross-sectional study was performed on 180 nurses in Ardabil province in 2020. Data were collected online through two standard questionnaires, making use of the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Then, data were analysed based on descriptive and analytical statistics using SPSS software version 19 as well as independent t-tests, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression tests. The results of the Spearman’s correlation test indicated that there was a significantly positive correlation (rho = 0.79) between perceived stress and psychological distress (P <0.001). After adjusting the effects of other variables using a multiple linear regression test, the beta correlation coefficient was calculated, and the obtained value of 0.766 was regarded as statistically significant (P <0.001). Moreover, 63.9% of the nurses experienced moderate perceived stress, and 72.6% experienced severe mental disorders. The results of this study demonstrate that high perceived stress is considered as a strong predictor of psychological distress, and also the majority of the nurses working in frontline wards have experienced severe psychological distress. Therefore, it is recommended to take into account the workplace stress and prepare the ground (e.g., through preparing education, identifying at-risk individuals, as well as providing psychotherapy services and social support) to reduce the stress and promote the nurses’ mental health.