Purpose
This study aimed to understand the relationships between depression, post-traumatic stress, job demands, and social and organizational support among nurses working at general hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the factors influencing depression.
Methods
Data were collected from 240 nurses using a self-reported questionnaire between April 28 and May 7, 2023. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, an independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé’s test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression.
Results
The mean scores for depression and post-traumatic stress were 15.49 and 17.90, respectively. Approximately 43% nurses experienced depression. Depression was positively related to job demands and post-traumatic stress and negatively related to social and organizational support. Multiple regression showed that post-traumatic stress (β=.33, p<.001), social support (β=-.30, p<.001), and job demands (β=.21, p<.001) explained 26.4% of the variance for nurses’ depression.
Conclusion
These findings indicate that efforts are needed to mitigate depression and post traumatic stress among nurses, even after the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs that can enhance social support and reduce post-traumatic stress and job demands are needed to prevent and decrease depression. In particular, hospitals and the government must prepare for national disasters, such as new infectious diseases, to reduce job demands.