Complicated grief and related factors among nursing staff during the Covid-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe challenging working conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic created a perfect storm that can seriously impact nurses' physical and psychological well-being. Our study aimed to investigate complicated grief and its related factors among nursing staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study. The participants comprised 375 nurses selected by the convenience sampling method from designated wards for patients with Covid-19 in 3 hospitals in Tabriz, Iran. Participants completed a survey containing demographic and clinical questions, the Inventory of Complicated Grief, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the associates of nurses' grief. The STROBE guidelines were followed in reporting the study's findings.ResultsA significant proportion of participants (57.6%) were found to be suffering from complicated grief. Gender, educational background, type of ward, type of nursing role, type of working shift, years of nursing work experience, and experience working in the Covid-19 settings remained the significant associates of nurses' grief in the regression analysis.ConclusionDue to frequent exposure to patients' deaths, healthcare providers are at increased risk of suffering from complicated grief during the Covid-19 and post-pandemic. If it remains unresolved, complicated grief can result in significant health problems and the experience of burnout among nurses. Governments, health authorities, and nursing managers should support nurses who work in Covid-19 settings to reduce the adverse impact of the pandemic on nurses' health and well-being.

Automated summary

During the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses have been greatly affected in terms of their physical and psychological well-being due to challenging working conditions. This study aimed to investigate complicated grief and its related factors among nursing staff. The findings showed that a significant proportion of participants (57.6%) were suffering from complicated grief, and factors such as gender, educational background, type of ward, nursing role, working shift, years of experience, and working in Covid-19 settings were significantly associated with nurses' grief.