Factors Affecting the Resilience of Iranian Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nurses, more than all other healthcare industry members, are at the forefront of the crisis in the event of sudden pandemics. This study aimed to determine the factors contributing to the resilience of Iranian nurses during the pandemic.

In this cross-sectional web-based survey, the Google forms platform was used to distribute an online Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC) to 1025 nurses. The study data were collected in November 2020 via Iranian nurses’ social networks in hospitals nationwide. Using SPSS software, version 22 and multivariate linear regression, the data were evaluated. The significance level was set as less than 0.05.

The nurses’ mean total resilience score was 68.95±12.76. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that age (β=0.242, P=0.004), gender (β=-0.061, P=0.046), role (β=0.193, P<0.001), and getting COVID-19 (β=-0.061, P=0.046) are predictors of nurses’ resilience status. Other personal and occupational characteristics were not influential.

The resilience of nurses employed in hospitals across the country appears to be higher than that of the general population. Female, young nurses, and those infected with COVID-19 were at a greater risk. The existence of facilities, improvement of working conditions, and provision of sufficient human resources help maintain nurses’ mental health during the pandemic. Longitudinal studies are recommended to evaluate the duration of this level of resilience and its impact on the long-term mental well-being of nurses in the coming months and years.