Predictors of nurses' work-related mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a paired follow-up study.

Nurses are among society's mainstays, as they care for and take care of sick people. Therefore, it is also important that society ensure that nurses have a good working situation, as they run an increased risk of experiencing negative psychological conditions, including depression, anxiety, stress, and emotional exhaustion, due to the demanding nature of their work. The strain on healthcare staff, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted these challenges. The aim was to investigate predictors of work-related mental health problems in nurses’ work situations. A questionnaire was sent to 9219 Swedish nurses in 2017, and 4962 responded. Of these, 3777 had no diagnosed work-related mental health problems and were therefore selected as the study population. The questionnaire was resent to the nurses during the pandemic in 2020, and 3107 responded. Of these previously healthy registered nurses, 143 stated that they now suffered from a work-related mental health problem. The data were analyzed by logistic regression analysis, and 6 out of the 24 investigated statements were statistically significant, i.e., there was a possible causal relationship between nurses’ work situation and their worsening of mental health problems. The statements used were “I do not feel I get enough rest/recuperation between work shifts”, “The work pace in my daily work is too high”, “I do not feel I have enough support from my coworkers”, “I do not experience joy in my daily work”, “I do not feel like my daily work is meaningful”, and “I do not get enough opportunities at work to utilize my skills and knowledge”. Conclusions: This study revealed that work pace, recovery, support from colleagues, joy, meaningfulness, and development opportunities at work are particularly important for nurses' mental health. Actions in those areas are needed for nurses to have a sustainable work situation.