Risk Factors for Dysfunctional Thinking about COVID-19 among Nurses Caring for Patients with COVID-19

Background: This study aims to identify factors influencing dysfunctional thinking about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among nurses who have experience caring for COVID-19 patients.Methods: A survey was conducted on a total of 152 nurses nationwide from March 11 to March 19, 2024. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, χ2-test, or Fisher’s exact test. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for dysfunctional thinking about COVID-19.Results: There were 23 respondents (15.1%) with dysfunctional thinking about COVID-19. The posttraumatic growth score was 3.37±1.14. Risk factors influencing dysfunctional thinking about COVID-19 were age of 31 years or older (odds ratio [OR]=4.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.30–14.87), chronic diseases of co-living family (OR=13.60, 95% CI=1.39–133.06), and nursing for confirmed patients within 1 month (OR=3.34, 95% CI=1.08–10.32).Conclusions: This study identified risk factors that affect dysfunctional thinking about COVID-19 among nurses working in various-sized medical institutions in Korea. This is expected to be helpful for improving healthcare workers’ psychosocial and environmental intervention during infectious disease pandemics in the future.