The Impact of Organizational Supports on Nurses’ Occupational Stress in COVID‐19 Pandemic: A Partial Least Squares Multigroup Analysis

The safety and mental health issues of frontline nurses working during the coronavirus global outbreak must be a first/top priority. The present study aimed to investigate the association between nurses’ occupation stress and organizational support in both infectious and non-infectious intensive care units (ICUs) wards during the COVID-19 crisis.

This was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study. The study population comprised nurses caring for COVID‐19 patients in Imam Reza Hospital complex in Mashhad City, Iran. The sample size was 129 nurses selected through random quota sampling and examined with a standard questionnaire. To analyze the information and test the hypothesis, the structural equation modeling approach using Smart PLS 2.0 software has been used. Descriptive and analytical statistical tests were used in this study.

The results indicated a significant negative correlation between stress and perceived organizational support for ICU nurses (P<0.001). Considering subscales in stress, the highest mean occupational stress scores were related to the “death and dying” dimension (n=21, 13.98%). Also, the difference between the two groups of nurses was statistically significant in different workloads (P<0.001) and lack of support (P<0.001).

The results of the present study highlighted the importance of organizational support to reduce stress in nurses. To get through this unprecedented situation, nurses need their employers and organizations to support them with action, planning, and resources.