Changes in research activity and obstructive factors among nursing researchers during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study

Objective: We explored how the effects of obstructive factors changed according to the status of nursing researchers' activities during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This study included two online questionnaires in 2020 and 2021 to explore the effect of COVID-19. Participants were 321 nursing researchers from the universities who answered both surveys. The participants were divided into four groups according to the change in research activity status. We compared the results between the four groups in the first survey and the changes between the two surveys in each group. Results: The 321 participants comprised 9.0%, 18.4%, 6.9%, and 65.7% in the "Well-maintained," "Improved," "Worsened," and "Difficulty-remained" groups, respectively. As a comparison of the scores of obstructive factors in the first survey between the four groups, the "Well-maintained" group's scores including "information and communication technology (ICT) proficiency needs and support for others" tended to be lower than that of the other groups. Furthermore, the "Improved" group's scores showed a statistically significant improvement in the second survey, particularly in ICT-related factors (p < .001). Although the scores for "family role burden and conflicts" tended to improve in the "Well-maintained" and "Improved" groups, the scores in the other two groups remained almost unchanged. Conclusions: The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect on nursing researchers. The results revealed that ICT proficiency, effective use, and managing to balance family roles and work might be key factors in promoting family activities during difficult periods.