Posttraumatic stress disorder magnitude and associated factors among nurses participated during COVID-19 pandemic from 2019-2022 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2024.

Abstract

Summary Introduction – Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 38% of nurses, particularly those exposed to COVID-19. The severity of the pandemic has significantly impacted nurses, leading to mental illnesses like PTSD. It's crucial to recognize the emotional impact of nursing and advocate for supportive environments to prevent PTSD. Objective – The study mainly aimed to investigate posttraumatic stress disorder magnitude, related factors and Coping outcomes among nurses participated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The 8-item PTSD check list and brief cope inventory were used to assess PTSD and coping mechanisms among 320 nurses participated on covid-19 patient care during the pandemic, Data collection held from May 15 – June 14 2024. Data entered using Epi-Info and exported to SPSS version 26 for further analysis. A binary logistic regression model used to identify associated factors; a variance inflation factor (VIF) determined that there was no multi-co linearity. A p value < 0.25 on binary logistic regression analysis considered for multivariate analysis. Results: The magnitude of PTSD among nurses were found to be 39.4%. In this study, factors such as Sex being male (AOR=.502 95% CI: .294-.856), being married (AOR= .357 95% CI: .194 .658), monthly income below 10000ETB (AOR=2.692 95% CI: 1.443-5.020),1:1 nurse to patient ratio (AOR=2.901 95% CI: 1.325-6.352), avoidant and problem focused coping mechanisms with (AOR= .056 95% CI: .006-.453) and (AOR= .269 95% CI: .093-.779) respectively plus unidentified coping mechanisms (AOR= .265 95%CI: .126-.557) were significantly associated with PTSD among nurses. Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of PTSD among nurses participated on covid patient care, initiation of participation and involvement of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health on monitoring mental health, expanding mental health services, and developing interventions based on identified factors to treat PTSD among nurses will decrease the higher magnitude of PTSD and its impacts. Keywords - PTSD, COVID-19, Nurses, Pandemic, Ethiopia.