Nurses' experience of secondary traumatic stress in the COVID-19 pandemic and the conditions of coping with stress: The case of tokat province

This research was carried out to examine the post-traumatic stress symptoms, secondary traumatic stress levels, affecting factors and coping ways of nurses working in the city center of Tokat during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample of this descriptive study seeking a relationship consisted of 269 nurses working in the emergency room, operating room, intensive care and obstetrics clinic of a state and a university hospital in the city center of Tokat and accepted the research. In the study,''Nurse Introductory Information Form'', ''Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS) '', ''Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms Scale (PTSSS) '' and ''Styles of Coping with Stress Scale (SCSS) were used. Data were tested with mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, minimum, maximum values, Mann Whitney-U, Kruskal Wallis and regression analysis. While 58.7% of the nurses were female and 41.3% were male, the mean age of the nurses was 30.15 ± 5.312, 27.9% had listened to a traumatic experience, 36.3% had experienced an individual traumatic event, and 58.4 % had working hours were affected by COVID-19, 23.3% of them were assigned to another unit during the COVID-19 outbreak. The secondary traumatic stress score of the participants was 23.01 ± 12.89 and the post-traumatic stress symptoms score was 56.41 ± 20.65. Nurses use the self- confident approach (14.86 ± 3.78) most frequently and the submissive approach (7.00 ± 2.81) the least among the styles of coping with stress. The mean score of the STSS was found to be high in the emergency room nurses, in the second rank after the maternity service nurses. Listening to a traumatic event (p < 0.01) and the presence of a stress coping method (p < 0.05) were found to be significant predictors of secondary traumatic stress. The findings of the study showed that nurses' mean scores for STSS sub- dimensions and total scores were low, and mean total scores for PTSS were above the medium level. Gender, fear of being infected with COVID-19, the existence of a way of coping with stress, weekly working hours, assignment to another unit in the COVID- 19 pandemic, witnessing a traumatic experience and experiencing a traumatic event are important factors in terms of secondary traumatic stress. Those with mental health problems, those who do not have a way of coping with stress, those who have less working hours per week, those whose working hours were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, those who were assigned to another unit during the COVID-19 pandemic, those who were exposed to listening to a traumatic experience, those who did not have an individual traumatic life history, Those who benefited from the mental support program during the COVID-19 pandemic period are at risk in terms of post-traumatic stress symptoms. There was no statistically significant difference between the nurses' stress coping styles scale sub-dimension score averages, the total score of STSS, and the total score of PTSSS according to hospitals. In order to prevent or reduce secondary traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress symptoms, it is recommended to consider risk factors, take precautions accordingly, provide education/psychological support and regulate health policies.