Lindsay Haskett

Experiences of Secondary Traumatic Stress by Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Three Countries

The unique nature of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed nurses across the world to secondary traumatic stress (STS). Nursing in many situations is a high-stress environment, and nurses can experience mental health problems when working in high-pressure or high-risk scenarios, like the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, as nurses were working on the frontlines, they were being labeled “heroes” and “essential workers”. While recognition for their role during the pandemic is warranted, they were witnessing death and suffering of patients in a new way.

Many studies have examined nurses’ mental health and emotional experiences during the pandemic. However, none have measured STS and compared it among nurses in multiple countries. Professor Haskett and her research team wanted to describe the severity of STS among nurses caring for COVID-19 patients during the initial pandemic wave, compare the severity of STS among nurses from the United States, China, and Kenya, and describe nurses’ perceptions of their experiences caring for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. Gaining a better understanding of the physical and emotional effects of caregiving for COVID-19 patients in this context is essential to inform practical support for nurses throughout all stages of the pandemic and in the future.