Determining the perceived stress level of individuals with COVID-19

Aim: To determine the individuals perceived stress level one month after they were infected with COVID-19. Methods: The study done in Baghdad, Iraq, conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study sample included only 225 patients out of all patients in the two hospitals by using non probability sampling. Results: The average age of the participants is 33.19±9.98, 58.2% of them are male, 23.6% are smokers and 15.6% have a chronic disease. It was determined that 91.1% of the participants experienced covid in their family members, and 38.7% experienced death from covid in their families. 82.2% of the participants were vaccinated against covid. Participants' perceived stress scale total scores were 17.14±7.22. It has been determined that the perceived stress scale scores are higher in women and those who have died due to covid in their families (p≤0.05). Conclusions: It is observed that participants who experienced death due to Covid had higher perceived stress scores than participants who did not experience death. Nurses play a very important role in the stress management of patients, especially during long-term hospitalizations. Therefore, nurses can collaborate with other members of the healthcare team to provide patients with more effective stress management strategies. The society should be informed about covid correctly and the safety profile of the covid 19 vaccine should be emphasized.