Anxiety of the nurses who are attending patients at the forefront of the global pandemic of COVID-19 is on a rise. Accordingly, the necessity of examining the psychological response of the nurses who have attended COVID-19 patients is deemed worth being highlighted.
The purpose of this study is to categorize and characterize the psychological response of nurses who have experienced COVID-19 patient care on the basis of Q methodology. Data collection took place from 17 September 2020 to 15 October 2020, and the specific procedures are as following:
The Q sample extracted 34 statements, and the P sample marked 22 nurses who had operated a screening clinic and experienced patient care in the local base hospitals treating COVID-19, using convenience sampling. 34 Q sample cards were classified using forced distribution method on a 9-point scale, reflecting individual subjectivity, according to the most positive and most negative. The results were analyzed for Q factors using the QUANL program.
The findings suggest that the nurses who experienced COVID-19 patient care are classified into three types of psychological responses.
The first type is characterized by 'the fear of stigmatization', that even the family of nurses, who are likely to be exposed to the risk of infection, may be exposed to COVID-19, which may lead to being stigmatized. The second type is characterized by 'anxiety about the risk of infection', which translates into the anxiety that nurses and their families face as they are more likely to be confirmed with COVID-19 infection, due to the occupational environment of nurses. The third type is characterized by the 'burden of infectious nursing work', which is the root of fatigue faced by the nurses as they are responsible for the infection control and the use of protective gear, while the pandemic is extending over an unprecedented period.
As above, through the type of psychological responses of the nurses who experienced COVID-19 patient care, it was able to identify their emotional difficulties and the differences in values. Therefore, it is expected that the result of this study may be able to serve as the basis for emotional support programs, that is capable of understand and mediate the psychological state of the nurses who care for COVID-19.