Effect of perceived stress on anxiety and depression among intensive care unit nurses: chain mediating roles of mindfulness and resilience

To investigate the mediating effects of mindfulness and resilience on perceived stress, anxiety and depression among nurses working in intensive care unit (ICU).

From April to July 2021, 563 ICU nurses from 15 hospitals in Chongqing were enrolled with convenience sampling and surveyed by using general data questionnaire, Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS).

The scores of SAS and SDS were 45.99±10.10 and 48.62±11.41, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that gender and income were the influencing factors of ICU nurses' anxiety (P<0.05), and gender, professional title, income and current disease were the influencing factors of depression (P<0.05); Pearson correlation analysis indicated that anxiety was positively correlated with perceived stress (r=0.578, P<0.01), and negatively with resilience and mindful attention awareness (r=-0.487, -0.525, P<0.01). Depression was positively correlated with perceived stress (r=0.591, P<0.01), and negatively with resilience and mindful attention awareness (r=-0.569, -0.552, P<0.01). The mediating effect analysis suggested that mindfulness and resilience played chain mediating roles in stress, anxiety and depression for ICU nurses (P<0.01).

ICU nurses have high anxiety and depression. Mindfulness and resilience play chain mediating roles in perceived stress with anxiety and depression among them.