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

• Published in: Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 29; no. 3; pp. 395 - 403
• Main Authors: Labrague, Leodoro J., Santos, Janet Alexis A.
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.04.2021; Hindawi Limited; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Burnout, Professional; Clinical outcomes; Counseling services; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease control; Employee turnover; Fear; Fear & phobias; Female; Health care; Humans; Job Satisfaction; Male; Medical personnel; Mental health; Nurses; nursing; Nursing administration; Nursing Staff, Hospital - psychology; Occupational roles; Occupational stress; Original; Pandemics; Personnel Turnover - trends; Philippines - epidemiology; Professional Role; Professional training; Psychiatric nurses; Psychological distress; Psychotherapy; SARS-CoV-2; Social support; Socioeconomic Factors; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Support services; turnover intention; Philippines; COVID-19; nursing; turnover intention; psychological distress; job satisfaction; fear
• ISSN: 0966-0429; 1365-2834
• DOI: 10.1111/jonm.13168

Aim 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. Background 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. Methods This is a cross‐sectional research design involving 261 frontline nurses in the Philippines. Five standardized scales were used for data collection. Results 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. Conclusions 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. Implications for Nursing Management 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.