Burdens and coping strategies among geriatric care nurses during COVID-19: A factorial survey

IF 3.1 Q1 NURSING

International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances Pub Date : 2025-07-19 DOI:10.1016/j.ijnsa.2025.100386

Christopher Huken , Patrick Kutschar , Martin W. Schnell , Christine Dunger

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Geriatric care nurses used different strategies to cope with the various burdens they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting care interactions and reflecting their professional identity.

Objective

To explore the burdens and coping strategies of German geriatric care nurses, using professional identity as a conceptual framework.

Design

Cross-sectional factorial survey using vignettes (i.e., hypothetical descriptions of care situations).

Setting & Participants

Stratified sampling was applied at the facility level, based on the distribution of nursing homes across German federal states. A total of 188 geriatric care nurses participated.

Methods

The factorial online survey included socio-demographic variables, COVID-19-specific questions, vignettes, and feedback items. Descriptive statistics and multilevel regression analysis were conducted.

Results

Participants reported higher stress during the pandemic than before. Burden characteristics described in the vignettes had no significant effect on participants' judgement behaviour. A random-intercept level 2 model showed that a higher workload and caring for residents significantly influenced participants' judgement. Closeness to family and friends, and seeking support from colleagues were effective coping strategies, while bending guidelines and harmful consumption behaviour were less effective.

Conclusions

Coping strategies focused on social interaction were particularly beneficial despite contact restrictions. The type of burden appeared less important than the ability to cope with it. The subordinate role of professional identity may reflect a shift towards functional care. We have highlighted the possible need to address stress management and working conditions of geriatric care nurses, especially in the light of potential future crises.

Registration

None

Tweetable abstract

A factorial survey exploring relevant burden and coping strategies German geriatric care nurses experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

查看原文本刊更多论文

COVID-19期间老年护理护士的负担和应对策略：一项析因调查

在2019冠状病毒病大流行期间，老年护理护士采用了不同的策略来应对她们面临的各种负担，这影响了护理互动，反映了她们的职业身份。目的以职业认同为概念框架，探讨德国老年护理护士的负担及应对策略。设计采用小插曲的横断面因子调查（即对护理情况的假设描述）。设置,参与者分层抽样应用于设施水平，基于德国联邦各州养老院的分布。共有188名老年护理护士参与了调查。方法阶乘在线调查包括社会人口学变量、covid -19特定问题、小短文和反馈项目。进行描述性统计和多水平回归分析。结果参与者报告在大流行期间的压力比以前更高。小插曲中描述的负担特征对参与者的判断行为没有显著影响。随机截距2级模型显示，较高的工作量和对住院医师的照顾显著影响了参与者的判断。亲近家人和朋友，寻求同事的支持是有效的应对策略，而扭曲指导方针和有害的消费行为则不太有效。结论尽管存在接触限制，但侧重于社会互动的范围界定策略尤其有益。负担的类型似乎不如应付它的能力重要。职业认同的从属作用可能反映了向功能性护理的转变。我们强调可能需要解决老年护理护士的压力管理和工作条件问题，特别是考虑到未来可能出现的危机。一项析因调查探讨了德国老年护理护士在COVID-19大流行期间的相关负担和应对策略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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