Anxiety, sleep disorders and self-efficacy among nurses during COVID-19 pandemic: A large cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim and objectives: To assess the prevalence of anxiety, sleep disorders and self-efficacy and their predicting factors among nurses facing COVID-19.

Background: The spread of COVID-19 throughout the world determined a series of modifications of several National Health Service organisations, with a potential series of psychological consequences among nurses, who were particularly afflicted by this situation of changes and precariousness.

Design: A cross-sectional study was carried out from February-April 2020.

Methods: A total of 1,005 nurses employed in different Italian hospital wards, during the COVID-19 pandemic, were recruited. Analyses were based on descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression. The STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies was used in this study.

Results: The prevalence of sleep disturbances, moderate anxiety and low self-efficacy was 71.4%, 33.23% and 50.65%, respectively. We found a positive correlation between anxiety and sleep quality (0.408; p < .0001) and negative correlations between self-efficacy and anxiety (-0.217; p < .0001) and sleep quality and self-efficacy (-0.134; p < .0001). The factor independently associated with all variables was gender. Females were more prone to sleep disturbances, anxiety and low levels of self-efficacy than males (p < .05).

Conclusions: The prevalence of anxiety, sleep disorders and low self-efficacy among Italian nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic was high. Healthcare managers should recognise and consider these results to reduce the risk of the onset of major mental problems that could result in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Relevance to clinical practice: Nurses facing major incidents as COVID-19 pandemic are among healthcare personnel exposed to a high risk to develop psychological disturbance that should be assessed and recognised, in order to find helpful coping strategies to inform support services and avoid to hesitate in post-traumatic stress disorders.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; anxiety; nurses; nursing; self-efficacy; sleep disorders.