Effect of Psychological Immunization on Perceived Stress and Anxiety Caused by COVID-19 in Nurses of Psychiatric Departments in Zahedan, Iran

Background & Aims :

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses working in psychiatric departments were also involved, which affected their mental health. The present study aims to determine the effect of psychological immunization on perceived stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19 in nurses working in the psychiatry department of a hospital in Zahedan, Iran.

Materials & Methods:

 This is a quasi-experimental study that was conducted from February to June 2022. Participants were 50 nurses from the psychiatry department of Baharan Hospital in Zahedan city who were selected by a census method, and were assigned to intervention and control groups. Data collection tools included a demographic form, the perceived stress scale, and the corona disease anxiety scale. The psychological immunization was provided in two four-hour workshops. Data analysis was done in SPSS software, version 16 using mean, standard deviation and chi-square test, independent t-test, paired t-test, and Fisher’s exact test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results :

Most of the nurses had an infection with COVID-19 and were vaccinated. The mean and score of anxiety decreased from 11.96±10.05 to 8.12±6.92 in the intervention group (P=0.004) and decreased from 11.84±10.26 to 8.40±6.51 in the control group (P=0.07). The mean score of perceived stress changed from 27.45±5.56 to 27.20±4.20 after intervention in the intervention group (P=0.8) and from 27.48±4.71 to 28.32±4.87 in the control group (P=0.43).

Conclusion:

 The psychological immunization program has no significant effect on anxiety and stress caused by COVID-19 in nurses of psychiatric departments in Zahedan, Iran. It is recommended that psychiatric hospital managers should pay attention to the psychological problems of nurses at the beginning of the pandemic.