Factors Affected with Post-traumatic Stress in Nurses Involved in Direct Care for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Patients

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify the levels of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and determine the factors affected with PTS in nurses involved in direct care for middle east respiratory syndrome patients. Subjects comprised of 144 nurses from three general hospitals in Korea. Data were collected from October to November 2015 and using structured questionnaires that included job stress and PTS. Data were analyzed using the SPSS Win 21.0 program. The mean scores for PTS were 14.08±16.81, 3.02±5.00 with hyperarousal, 3.39±5.01 with avoidance, 4.55±4.16 with intrusion, and 3.12±3.73 with sleep problem and numbness. The 22.2% of nurses met the diagnostic criteria for PTS. The position, psychological job demand, physical job demand, and supervisor support accounted for a 13% variance in PTS. Based on the findings, nursing professionals and managers must develop interventions that consider psychological job demand, physical job demand and support for the nurse after experiencing direct care for middle east respiratory syndrome patients.