Fear of COVID‐19, psychological distress, work satisfaction and turnover intention among frontline nurses

TLDR

COVID‑19 has severely impacted the psychological well‑being of frontline nurses, yet no studies have examined how fear of the virus influences their health, well‑being, and work outcomes. The study aims to assess how fear of COVID‑19 affects nurses’ psychological distress, job satisfaction, and intentions to leave the organization and profession. A cross‑sectional survey of 261 frontline nurses in the Philippines used five standardized scales to quantify fear of COVID‑19, psychological distress, job.

Abstract

To examine the relative influence of fear of COVID-19 on nurses' psychological distress, work satisfaction and intent to leave their organisation and the profession.The emergence of COVID-19 has significantly impacted the psychological and mental well-being of frontline health care workers, including nurses. To date, no studies have been conducted examining how this fear of COVID-19 contributes to health, well-being and work outcomes in frontline nurses.This is a cross-sectional research design involving 261 frontline nurses in the Philippines. Five standardized scales were used for data collection.Overall, the composite score of the fear of COVID-19 scale was 19.92. Job role and attendance of COVID-19-related training predicted fear of COVID-19. An increased level of fear of COVID-19 was associated with decreased job satisfaction, increased psychological distress and increased organisational and professional turnover intentions.Frontline nurses who reported not having attended COVID-19-related training and those who held part-time job roles reported increased fears of COVID-19. Addressing the fear of COVID-19 may result in improved job outcomes in frontline nurses, such as increased job satisfaction, decreased stress levels and lower intent to leave the organisation and the profession.Organisational measures are vital to support the mental health of nurses and address their fear of COVID-19 through peer and social support, psychological and mental support services (e.g. counselling or psychotherapy), provision of training related to COVID-19 and accurate and regular information updates.