ISSN (print) 1726-9806     ISSN (online) 1818-474X
No. 1 (2025), BURNOUT SYNDROME
No. 1 (2025)
BURNOUT SYNDROME

COVID-19 pandemic related psycho-emotional disorders of intensive care units’ frontline nurses: a comparative cross-sectional survey study

Published 31.01.2025
A.D. Kashtanov
Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (RNRMU), Moscow, Russia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9648-1720
E.V. Kartashova
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0032-151X
A.A. Galata
Moscow Medical Clinical Center Kommunarka, Moscow, Russia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4964-6462
V.A. Aliev
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2089-7076
Andrey G. Yavorovskiy
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5103-0304
B.A. Volel
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1667-5355
Yu.L. Vasil’ev
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3541-6068
S.S. Ibrahim
I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8306-0441
PDF_2025-1-147-160 (Russian)

Keywords

intensive care units
COVID-19
aggression
emotional exhaustion
nurses
professional burnout
occupational stress
depersonalization

How to Cite

Kashtanov A.D., Kartashova E.V., Galata A.A., Aliev V.A., Yavorovskiy A.G., Volel B.A., Vasil’ev Y.L., Ibrahim S.S. COVID-19 pandemic related psycho-emotional disorders of intensive care units’ frontline nurses: a comparative cross-sectional survey study. Annals of Critical Care. 2025;(1):147–160. doi:10.21320/1818-474X-2025-1-147-160.
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Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Work in intensive care units (ICUs) is one of the most difficult and can lead to the development of psychoemotional disorders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this problem has become more urgent. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the psychoemotional state of nursing staff working in ICUs with patients infected with COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anonymous online survey was conducted from June 2021 to March 2022 on the psychoemotion of nurses (n = 476). To assess their psychoemotional status, the Maslach Burnout Inventory was used, adapted by N.E. Vodopyanova; the questionnaire for measuring aggressive and hostile reactions by A. Bass and A. Darki; and the standardized professional stress scale developed by K. Weissmann. RESULTS: Nurses in the ICU who work with patients infected with COVID-19 (ICU COVID+) are more likely to experience depersonalization, decreased personal achievement, and more frequent verbal and indirect aggression. (14.82/12.76 and 38/31 points, respectively, according to the methods used for this comparison group). Nurses who do not work with COVID+ patients (ICU “green” zone) are more prone to emotional exhaustion and physical aggression. (28.96/ 25.78, respectively). Experienced nurses in both COVID– and ICU COVID+ units have a higher level of psychological well-being, but the depersonalisation of nurses increases as their length of service increases. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses working in COVID+ ICUs show a larger number of signs of psychological stress than those from the "green" ICU.

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