Abstract
BACKGROUND The mental health of nurses has been significantly affected by the prolonged stress and high-intensity work environments resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of 2022, China's national epidemic prevention policy was optimized and adjusted, and all cities no longer had strict lockdown measures. The management of COVID-19 in China has transitioned to a normalization phase since this stage. This study aimed to examine the psychological status and its related factors among nurses in 4 tertiary hospitals in Dalian during the normalization phase of epidemic prevention and control. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 778 nurses from 4 tertiary hospitals in Dalian were surveyed through electronic web-based questionnaires between September 1, 2023, and September 30, 2023. The psychological status and work stress of the nurses were evaluated utilizing the Symptom Check List 90 (SCL-90) and the Chinese Nurses' Work Stressors Scale. Statistical analyses, comprising rank-sum tests and logistic regression models, were performed using SPSS 26.0 software. RESULTS Marital status, alcohol consumption, frontline work experience, weekly working hours, age, professional title, and years of work were found to impact the psychological well-being of nurses. Being a senior nursing staff and consuming alcohol were significant independent risk factors for nurses' psychological symptoms (P<0.05). Conversely, age 20-29 years and working ≤40 hours per week were identified as independent protective factors for nurses' psychological well-being during the epidemic. CONCLUSIONS The mental well-being of nurses is greatly influenced by work-related stress, which is heightened by specific demographic and occupational factors. To promote the mental health of nurses amidst ongoing epidemic control endeavors, hospitals should introduce specific interventions, such as adequate staffing, psychological support services, and customized stress management initiatives. These actions can reduce the psychological strain on nurses, enhancing overall well-being and job effectiveness.