Promoting and Risk Factors of Nurses’ Hardiness Levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from an Italian Cohort

Samuele Baldassini Rodriguez, Yari Bardacci, Khadija El Aoufy, Marco Bazzini, Christian Caruso, Gian Domenico Giusti, Andrea Mezzetti, Stefano Bambi, Andrea Guazzini and Laura Rasero
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Samuele Baldassini Rodriguez: Emergency and Trauma Intensive Care Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
Yari Bardacci: Emergency and Trauma Intensive Care Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
Khadija El Aoufy: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Viale Largo Brambilla, 50134 Florence, Italy
Marco Bazzini: Emergency and Trauma Intensive Care Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
Christian Caruso: Emergency Medical System—AUSL Toscana Centro, 50134 Florence, Italy
Gian Domenico Giusti: Medicine and Surgery Department, University of Perugia, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Andrea Mezzetti: Emergency Medical System—AUSL Toscana Centro, 50134 Florence, Italy
Stefano Bambi: Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Andrea Guazzini: Department of Education, Languages, Intercultural Studies, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
Laura Rasero: Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: Aim: Few studies in the literature specifically address the hardiness of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the hardiness levels in an Italian cohort of nurses. The secondary aims were to assess the level of hardiness in nurses directly caring for patients with COVID-19 and to verify the presence of related risk and promoting factors. Methods: A descriptive and explorative study was performed through an online survey from March to July 2020. The survey was composed of a multiple answer questionnaire with open, closed, and semi-closed-ended questions. Hardiness and anxiety were assessed using two psychometric instruments: the Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS-15) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y). Results: A total of 1250 nurses completed the questionnaire entirely (92.3% of respondents). The average length of service was 17.8 ± 11.5 years. A decrease in the hardiness was recorded after the first wave of COVID-19 if compared to the baseline (mean Δ DRS-15 total = 1.3 ± 5.0), whereas in the subsample of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients, the total hardiness level decreased more consistently (mean Δ DRS Total = 1.9 + 5.3). Multivariate analysis showed that high levels of anxiety were risk factors for reducing hardiness. In contrast, anxiety, when associated with a greater length of service, was a promoting factor for the increase in hardiness. Conclusions: The correlation between anxiety and years of length of service appears to be pivotal. Future research should focus on the role of anxiety to establish its actual role as a predictor of hardiness.

Keywords: resilience; hardiness; stress; anxiety COVID-19; SARS CoV2; nursing; nurses; critical care; healthcare workers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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