Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany.
West J Nurs Res. 2024 Jul;46(7):492-500. doi: 10.1177/01939459241252078. Epub 2024 May 9.
This study aimed to assess subjective and objective parameters of stress among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and to examine the recovery effect of a day off.
In this prospective observational trial, we measured heart rate variability (using a wearable device) and perceived stress levels on 3 working days and 1 day off. We obtained the following data using an online questionnaire: working conditions, COVID-19-related problems, depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), effort-reward imbalance, and work-family conflict in a sample of German nurses (N = 41).
When comparing working days with a day off, we observed a significant difference for physical load (Cohen's = 0.798, < .001), mental load (Cohen's = 0.660, = .001), emotional exhaustion (Cohen's = 0.945, < .001), and overburdening (Cohen's = 0.585, = .002) with higher scores on working days. Regarding heart rate variability, we did not find a difference. Correlational analyses revealed a significant association between being afraid to get infected with COVID-19 and lower heart rate variability ( = -0.336, = .045) and between being afraid to infect relatives and lower heart rate variability ( = -0.442, = .007). Furthermore, a higher total sum score of work-family conflict was significantly associated with lower heart rate variability ( = -0.424, = .01).
As heart rate variability observations were different from those regarding subjectively perceived stress, further studies are needed to evaluate and differentiate the influence of work stress and other types of stress on heart rate variability.
本研究旨在评估 COVID-19 大流行期间护士的主观和客观压力参数，并检验休息日的恢复效果。
在这项前瞻性观察性试验中，我们使用可穿戴设备测量了 3 个工作日和 1 个休息日的心率变异性（HRV）和感知压力水平。我们通过在线问卷获得了以下数据：工作条件、与 COVID-19 相关的问题、抑郁（患者健康问卷-9）、焦虑（广泛性焦虑障碍-7）、努力-回报失衡以及德国护士的工作-家庭冲突（N=41）。
与休息日相比，我们在体力负荷（Cohen's = 0.798， < .001）、心理负荷（Cohen's = 0.660， = .001）、情绪耗竭（Cohen's = 0.945， < .001）和负担过重（Cohen's = 0.585， = .002）方面观察到显著差异，这些差异在工作日得分更高。关于心率变异性，我们没有发现差异。相关分析显示，害怕感染 COVID-19 与心率变异性降低（ = -0.336， = .045）以及害怕感染亲属与心率变异性降低（ = -0.442， = .007）之间存在显著关联。此外，工作-家庭冲突的总分与心率变异性降低显著相关（ = -0.424， = .01）。
由于心率变异性观察结果与主观感知压力不同，需要进一步研究来评估和区分工作压力和其他类型压力对心率变异性的影响。
