COVID-19 pandemic and death anxiety among intensive care nurses working at the Hospitals Affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Science

Introduction: The unpredictable challenges and conditions of COVID-19 can cause mental health problems. In such a situation, one of the most important psychological problems is the fear and anxiety of death. Death anxiety can affect the quality of patient care services and the job satisfaction and mental health of nurses.

Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study in which 110 nurses working in the intensive care units of hospitals affiliated to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected by the convenience sampling method from April to September 2016. The data collection tools used in the study include a demographic questionnaire and a Templer death-anxiety questionnaire.

Findings: The results showed that the level of death anxiety in nurses working at COVID-19 intensive care units is associated with age, working hours per week, childbearing, several patients needing end-of-life care, cases of direct participation in resuscitation operations, cases of patient death observations, and satisfaction with personal protective equipment (P < o.o5).

Conclusion: Increasing the nurses' awareness of the critical situations of COVID-19, management measures, improving the working environment, social support, and increasing personal protective equipment seem to be the effective factors in protecting the intensive care unit nurses against COVID-19 and reducing death anxiety.