The Effects on Mental Health of Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background & Objective:The COVID-19 pandemic has widely spread worldwide, and causedmental health problems for healthcare professionals, especially affecting the frontline nurses of the crisis. There isan immediate requirementto determine the frequencyof anxiety, insomnia, and many other negative emotionsin the staff to allowefficient measuresto be taken. Weaimedtoanalyze and document the existing evidence on the prevalence of mental health issues among nurses during the COVID-19. Methodology:A literature search was conducted through e-databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science up to December 2020. The search procedure based onusing key words for "nurses", "mental health", and "COVID-19 pandemic". Results:A totalof 30 studies were included in thissystematic review and meta-analysis. There were 57555 samples in total in the studies. According to the random effects model, it was found that the overall effect size of the pandemic on the mental health of nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 was statistically significant with a value of 1,964 (G.A; 1,384-2,787; p <0.05). Conclusion:Serioussymptoms of negative emotions such as anxiety and depression have emerged infrontline nursesdealing with COVID-19. Policymakers and managers need to takeefficient measures for nurses to preservetheir mental health status during COVID-19.