Stress level and sleep quality of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 infection is transmitted easily and quickly, and nurses constitute the riskiest group of healthcare workers. Therefore, they may experience high levels of stress and sleep problems.

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the stress levels and sleep quality of nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cross-sectional study was conducted with 316 nurses working in a pandemic hospital in a city center. A descriptive form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were used to collect data.

A positive, moderately significant correlation was found between the average PSQI score of nurses and the average perceived stress score (p≤0.001). Multiple regressions determined that shift work, stress level, a coworker having COVID-19, being out of home due to the risk of transmission, and having a person older than 65 in the home were effective predictors of sleep quality (R2 = 33.5, p≤0.001). Age, years worked, fear of infecting the family with COVID-19, receiving COVID-19 education, regular nutrition, and sleep quality were effective predictors of stress level (R2 = 32.2, p≤0.001).

It was determined that nurses have low sleep quality and high stress levels during the pandemic process.