Abstract:

In this study, the aim was to determine the stress, depression and anxiety levels of nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic and their perceptions of psychological care. This descriptive study was conducted with 224 participants. The Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were used to collect the study data. Of the participating nurses, 55.8% did not receive any mental health services during the pandemic, 14.8% utilized media resources as mental health services, 37.9% stated that they perceived their health status as worse than it was in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic, 63.8% were not able to meet their psychological care needs, and 29.4% wanted to get help from their families and relatives during this process. It was determined that nurses experienced moderate levels of depression and anxiety, and a mild level of stress. In the study, age was determined to be associated with stress and anxiety. In the study, a relationship was determined between the mental health services accessed and the level of depression. It was also determined that there was a relationship between the variable who the nurses want to get help from during the pandemic process, and their depression, stress and anxiety levels. Our findings revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had significant psychosocial effects on the nurses and that their perceptions of psychological care were negative. These results suggest that if nurses’ health is to be protected, especially in situations where occupational stress levels are very high, providing them with psychological support is crucial.

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