Stress and its Influencing Factors among Intern Nurses during Pandemic Outbreak of Covid - 19

Objectives: To investigate the frequency of stress and its influencing factors among intern nurses during the pandemic outbreak of Covid-19 in Karachi, Pakistan.Methodology: This descriptive study was conducted among intern nurses who were working in different hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan from 15th August to 15th September 2021. A total of 400 intern nurses were enrolled by using purposive sampling technique. Inclusion criteria: Intern nurses who were assigned in Covid-19 department/units. Exclusion criteria: Intern nurses who were not willing or absent at the time of data collection. Data were collected through a questionnaire and consists of three sections: First section included a General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Second section is about influencing factors of stress, and third section encompassed with demographic information. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 20.Results: Out of total 400 intern nurses, n=305 (76%) were in a high stress and n=95 (24 %) were reported a low stress. Four influencing factors were significantly (P-value<0.05) associated with level of stress of intern nurses. i.e.: Chances of having an infection (P- value=0.005), inadequate personal protective equipment (P- value= 0.000), guilt to be a nurse (P- value= 0.003), and long hours of duties (P- value= 0.001).Conclusion: Present study had explored that majority of intern nurses were in high stress and four influencing factors were significantly associated with level of stress. Such as chances of having an infection, inadequate personal protective equipment and guilt to be a nurse, long duty hours.