A Study to Assess the Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Among Nurses Working in COVID 19 Wards at Selected Hospitals in Bangalore

Abstract

Background : COVID 19 has had an unprecedented effect on the lives of people. The first case of covid 19 was reported in Wuhan, China in December, 2019. As of May 8th, 2020, in India, 56,342 positive cases have been reported. In the battle against the COVID 19 pandem ic, medical care staffs, especially nurses, are at a higher risk of encountering psychological health issues and distress, such as stress, anxiety, depression, emotional tension, insomnia and burnout syndrome. This research study assesses the psychologica l effects of Covid 19 among nurses working in Covid 19 wards and it also assesses the level of work stress on nurses during Covid 19 pandemic . Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the psychological effects of COVID 19 among nurses workin g in Covid 19 ward and the level of work stress on nurses during the Covid 19 pandemic. Method : This is a descriptive study where a closed ended questionnaire containing demographics and clinical variables was given to 60 nurses working in NRR Hospital at Banga lore. Subjective and objective d ata was collected with the help of the q uestionnaire and data was analys ed and results were interpreted by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result : The study found that anxiety and stress are the topmost ca use s of psychological distress among the nurses working in Covid 19 wards. The study reveals that most common psychological impact faced by the nurses was anxiety and stress (31.85%), followed by burnout syndrome (28.31%), insomnia (19.4%), depression (10. 6%) and anger (9.73%). Conclusion: The following conclusion was drawn from the study: Most nurses have mild to moderate levels of psychological effects as a result of working in Covid 19 wards.