Nurses’ Risk Perception And Perceived Stress During Covid-19 Outbreak In Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Nurses with other healthcare providers have positioned at the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 disease which increased their perceived stress. There is a little awareness of factors influencing perceptions of the risk of new emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and how perceptions of risk can lead to perceived stress among nurses.
Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the perception of risk and perceived stress of nurses in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was applied using online self-administered questionnaire. A convenient sample of 680 nurses in Saudi Arabia were participated in the study. The risk perception scale validated in previous studies was used, including questions to assess participants' risk perception of COVID-19, and the perceived stress scale also was used to identify participants' immediate psychological status and perception of risk. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: The results indicated that nurses have high risk perception regarding COVID-19 and moderate level of perceived stress regarding the new emerging COVID-19 with weighted mean ± SD= 3.04±0.63. The results show that there is a significant correlation between risk perception and perceived stress among nurses (r = 0.27, p< 0.01).
Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, nurses had a moderate degree of stress and a high risk perception level, with a significant correlation between perceived stress and risk perception. To reduce perceived stress among nurses, health authorities and policymakers must investigate strategies to foster a positive perception of Covid risk through an awareness campaign and ongoing educational training.