Effectiveness of Family-centered Problem-solving Training on the Negative Effects of Social Distancing Caused by COVID-19 in the Family of Nurses of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the psychological consequences of social distancing are among the most important social events of the 21st century that have made nurses' families face their related psychological consequences. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of family-centered problem-solving training on the negative effects of social distancing caused by COVID-19 in the families of nurses at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

The present quasi-experimental study was conducted based on a pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population (n=380) included the families of married nurses working in the COVID-19 ward of public hospitals in Kermanshah, 2020-2021. The sample consisted of the families of nurses who obtained a high score in the social distance measurement tool; accordingly, 100 people were included in the study and assigned to two groups of intervention and control (n=50 each). For the intervention group, 10 two-hour virtual sessions of training family-centered problem-solving protocols were held. Post-test was performed on both groups. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20) using frequency, mean and standard deviation, and analysis of covariance.

The findings showed that family-centered problem-solving training was effective on marital conflict, anxiety, and fear in nurses, and a significant difference was observed between the control and intervention groups (P<0.001).

Family-centered problem-solving training was effective on the negative effects of social distancing caused by COVID-19 in nurses' families.