Depressive symptoms are more influenced by personality traits and styles than working in nursing-a study during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND

According to literature, the COVID-19 pandemic caused stressful working conditions for nurses, which may have a negative impact on their Well-Being and mental health.

AIM

To investigate whether nurses and -helping professionals differ in their Well-Being. Furthermore, we analyzed, for the first time, which personality traits and styles are a risk factor for nurses' wellbeing during COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

In an online survey, the following psychological tests were used on nursing staff ( = 518) and -helping professionals ( = 335): (), the (), and the ().

RESULTS

Nurses and -helping professionals did not differ significantly in terms of Well-Being. The Well-Being of nurses was correlated with the following personality traits and styles, namely , , , , and . According to our results, 33% of participants suffered from clinically significant depressive symptoms.

DISCUSSION

According to our results, nurses are not more at risk for depression. However, it was shown that Well-Being during the pandemic is highly dependent on personality.

CONCLUSION

Specific personality traits and styles are a greater predictor of depressive symptoms than profession. The stressful occupational environment during COVID-19 pandemic is not the only cause for depressive symptoms in nurses. Psychotherapeutic interventions are especially important for particular individuals and are necessary to prevent depressive symptoms during COVID-19 pandemic.