Happiness and Moral Courage Among Iranian Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Workplace Social Capital.

Background: COVID-19 has become a major global health problem, and healthcare professionals are facing lot of pressure and stress. Accumulated resources and energy obtained via interpersonal relationships is called social capital, which can reduce the negative effects of pressure and stress related to the workplace by impacting happiness and moral courage. This study explored the effect of workplace social capital on moral courage and happiness in nurses working in the COVID-19 wards. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, using a random sampling method, 169 nurses from three hospitals in East Mazandaran province, Iran, participated who worked in COVID-19 wards. The Onyx and Bullen Social Capital Questionnaire, the Sekerka's Moral Courage Scale, and the Oxford Happiness Inventory were used in this study. Descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation analyses, and stepwise multiple regression were performed for data analysis. Results: The mean age of nurses was 31.38 ± 6.82 years. Socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, educational level, and employment status were significant predictors of workplace social capital. Social capital was positively correlated with moral courage (r = 0.29, p < 0.01) and happiness (r = 0.32, p < 0.01). In addition, social capital explained 6.8 and 8.6% variance in predicting moral courage and happiness, respectively. Conclusions: Workplace social capital is a vital organizational phenomenon affecting nurses' moral courage and happiness, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, hospitals should be aware of the importance of social capital; they should ensure that all the practices and policies are in place to develop and increase it.

Professional quality of life and caring behaviours among clinical nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the professional quality of life and caring behaviours among clinical nurses in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also examined the influence of the nurses' socio-demographic and professional characteristics on the professional quality of life. Moreover, the study examined the influence of professional quality of life on caring behaviour among the nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Caring is the core of the nursing profession and considered the heart of the humanistic clinical nursing practice. However, the work nature of the clinical nurses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to challenge their professional quality of life and caring behaviours. The factors influencing the professional quality of life and caring behaviours of clinical nurses have not been extensively explored. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. METHODS: A purposive sample of 375 clinical nurses in three academic medical centres in Saudi Arabia were surveyed using the professional quality of life version 5 and the short-form 24-item Caring Behavior Inventory from May-August 2020. A standard multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the predictors of the professional quality of life and caring behaviour. This study adhered to the recommendations of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. RESULTS: The majority of the respondents reported average level of compassion satisfaction (57.9%), burnout (54.4%) and secondary traumatic stress (66.9%) in the professional quality of life domains. The result also showed highest degree of caring in terms of 'assurance of human presence' while lowest in the 'knowledge and skills' in four subscales of caring behaviour. The following variables significantly predicted compassion satisfaction: education, area of assignment and position. Age, education and religion were identified as significant predictors of burnout while religion, nationality and position were significant predictors of secondary traumatic stress. Positive and negative domains of professional quality of life influenced the caring behaviours among clinical nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the study, clinical nurses exhibited moderate level of professional quality of life and correlates to their caring behaviours. Moreover, clinical nurses' demographic characteristics predicted their professional quality of life and caring behaviours. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The importance of ensuring good professional quality of life and caring behaviour among clinical nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic is underscored. Nursing leaders can utilise this baseline evidence and apply programmes for clinical nurses to tackle professional quality of life issues and enhance caring behaviours.

The role of workplace social capital on the relationship between perceived stress and professional identity among clinical nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak.

AIM: Workplace social capital refers to relationship networks formed by individuals in an organization through long-term mutually beneficial interactions and cooperation with members. These relationship networks can create value and resources for organizations and individuals. This current study aimed to explore the potential impact of workplace social capital on the association between perceived stress and professional identity in clinical nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 308 Chinese clinical nurses filled out the Chinese Workplace Social Capital Scale, the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale, and the Chinese Nurse's Professional Identity Scale. Descriptive analysis, independent samples t test, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analyses, and bootstrap method were performed to analyze the data. RESULTS: Perceived stress was negatively correlated with professional identity (r = -0.455, p < .001). Workplace social capital was not found to moderate the relationship between perceived stress and professional identity (95% CI -0.03 to- 0.06, p = .47 > .05). Instead, it mediated that relationship (95% CI -0.61 to -0.19, p < .05), and its mediating effect was -0.37. CONCLUSIONS: In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, workplace social capital among the investigated clinical nurses failed to buffer the negative impact of perceived stress on professional identity, but it did play a part in mediating perceived stress and professional identity. A healthy workplace should be provided to clinical nurses to improve their professional identity, while lowering perceived stress.

Hospital Preparedness, Resilience, and Psychological Burden Among Clinical Nurses in Addressing the COVID-19 Crisis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In the continuous effort to minimize the devastating effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to curb the spread of the disease, hospital preparedness and resilience play significant roles in the psychological well-being of clinical nurses given that their work demands immediate action to adapt and adjust to stressors. Thus, this study investigates the hospital preparedness, psychological burden, and resilience of clinical nurses in addressing COVID-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 281 clinical nurses participated in the survey from April 2020 to June 2020. Results show that clinical nurses perceived a high self-assessed COVID-19 hospital preparedness (49.65, SD = 2.30); high self-assessed nurses' resilience (4.03, SD = 0.36); and most have normal levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The variables were predicted to be statistically significant (F 18,262 = 4.14, p = 0.001) and accounted for 16.8% of the variance in the nurses' perception of hospital preparedness (R 2 = 0.221; adjusted R 2 = 0.168). The regression analysis was statistically significant (F 30,250 = 6.71, p = 0.001) and accounted for 38% of the variance in nurses' resilience (R 2 = 0.446, Adjusted R 2 = 0.380). The predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress show that the overall relationship was statistically significant at (F 23,257 = 6.71, p < 0.001), (F 23,257 = 6.675, p 0.000), and (F 23,257 = 6.692, p 0.000) with 31.9% of the variance (R 2 = 0.375, Adjusted R 2 = 0.319), 31.8% of the variance (R 2 = 0.374, Adjusted R 2 = 0.318), and 31.9 % of the variance (R 2 = 0.375, Adjusted R 2 = 0.319), respectively. The findings of this study helps in improving the continuing education program, psychological support, and mental health program to ensure that the needs of clinical nurses are addressed during the outbreak of a disease.