Perceived stress among nurses working in national institute of infectious diseases: Sri Lanka during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

During the COVID – 19 pandemic, nurses play a vital role in managing the health crisis in the country and face enormous challenges. The global prevalence of high levels of stress is 45% among nurses during the period of the COVID 19. There is a paucity of evidence regarding the level of stress among Sri Lankan nurses which is instrumental in planning and implementing appropriate strategies. The study aimed to assess perceived stress and its associated factors among nurses working in the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (IDH) in Sri Lanka during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 nurses at IDH from August to October 2020. Data were collected using a pretested self-administered questionnaire which was developed by the researchers. Perceived Stress Scale (Sheldon Cohen- 10 item scale) was used to assess the level of stress. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were performed using the statistical package SPSS version 25 for data analysis. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of KIU (ERC/KIU/20/58). The mean age of the participants was 30±5 years and 84% were females. Nearly half (56%) of the participants were married and one-third of the participants (34%) graduated. The average working hours per day was 13±4 hours. Most (87%) of the participants were grade one nursing officers. The majority (80%) of the participants had a moderate level of perceived stress and the mean perceived stress score was 22.2±4.5. Age (p=0.02), working hours per day (p=<0.001), number of night shifts per week (p=<0.001), and training on COVID 19 infection prevention and control (p=0.01) were associated with the stress of the participants. The current study revealed that the nurses are having a moderate level of stress during the COVID 19 pandemic. Therefore, appropriate strategies to unravel the moderate level of stress should be implemented among nurses working in the National Institute of Infectious Diseases