Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Oct;28(7):1653-1661.
doi: 10.1111/jonm.13121. Epub 2020 Aug 21.

COVID-19 anxiety among front-line nurses: Predictive role of organisational support, personal resilience and social support

Leodoro J Labrague  1 , Janet Alexis A De Los Santos  2
Affiliations

COVID-19 anxiety among front-line nurses: Predictive role of organisational support, personal resilience and social support

Leodoro J Labrague et al. J Nurs Manag. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

Aim: This study examines the relative influence of personal resilience, social support and organisational support in reducing COVID-19 anxiety in front-line nurses.

Background: Anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic is prevalent in the nursing workforce, potentially affecting nurses' well-being and work performance. Identifying factors that could help maintain mental health and reduce coronavirus-related anxiety among front-line nurses is imperative. Currently, no studies have been conducted examining the influence of personal resilience, social support and organisational support in reducing COVID-19 anxiety among nurses.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 325 registered nurses from the Philippines using four standardized scales.

Results: Of the 325 nurses in the study, 123 (37.8%) were found to have dysfunctional levels of anxiety. Using multiple linear regression analyses, social support (β = -0.142, p = .011), personal resilience (β = -0.151, p = .008) and organisational support (β = -0.127, p = .023) predicted COVID-19 anxiety. Nurse characteristics were not associated with COVID-19 anxiety.

Conclusions: Resilient nurses and those who perceived higher organisational and social support were more likely to report lower anxiety related to COVID-19.

Implication for nursing management: COVID-19 anxiety may be addressed through organisational interventions, including increasing social support, assuring adequate organisational support, providing psychological and mental support services and providing resilience-promoting and stress management interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; anxiety; coronavirus; nursing; organisational support; resilience; social support.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Alwani, S. S. , Majeed, M. M. , Hirwani, M. Z. , Rauf, S. , Saad, S. M. , Shah, S. H. , & Hamirani, F. M. (2020). Evaluation of knowledge, practices, attitude and anxiety of Pakistans nurses towards COVID‐19 during the current outbreak in Pakistan. medRxiv, 1‐26. 10.1101/2020.06.05.20123703 - DOI
    1. American Psychiatric Association (APA) . (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
    1. Baduge, M. S. P. , Morphet, J. , & Moss, C. (2018). Emergency nurses' and department preparedness for an ebola outbreak: A (narrative) literature review. International Emergency Nursing, 38, 41–49. - PubMed
    1. Bautista, J. R. , Lauria, P. A. S. , Contreras, M. C. S. , Maranion, M. M. G. , Villanueva, H. H. , Sumaguingsing, R. C. , & Abeleda, R. D. (2020). Specific stressors relate to nurses' job satisfaction, perceived quality of care, and turnover intention. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 26(1), e12774. - PubMed
    1. Bloom, D. E. , Black, S. , & Rappuoli, R. (2017). Emerging infectious diseases: A proactive approach. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(16), 4055–4059. - PMC - PubMed