Work stress and perceived organisational support on young Korean nurses' care for COVID-19 patients

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide, frontline nurses have faced tremendous stress. Younger nurses in their early-to-mid careers can be more exposed to burnout and work stress, and perceived organisational support can influence the quality of nursing care for vulnerable patients.

To identify the impact of younger nurses' work stress and perceived organisational support on their willingness to care for COVID-19 patients.

The cross-sectional secondary data analysis included 211 hospital nurses (<35 years) in South Korea with a mean age of 24.60 years (SD=1.90). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors influencing willingness to care.

Supplying personal protective equipment, training in the use of personal protective equipment, lower work stress, and positive perceptions of organisational support significantly increased early-career nurses' willingness to care. For mid-career nurses, being male and higher work stress significantly increased their willingness to care.

Support, including COVID-19-related education or training, should be provided to reduce work stress arising from being exposed to infection or while providing care to critically ill patients, especially among early-career nurses. Support from nurse managers, senior staff, and colleagues could help younger nurses cope better with the challenges of COVID-19, thus increasing their willingness to care.

Perceived organisational support may facilitate early-career nurses' organisational commitment. Healthy work environments can relieve early-to-mid-career nurses' work stress, thus facilitating patient-centred care.