Determination of Anxiety Levels of Children whose Parents are Nurses During COVID-19 Pandemic

Year 2024, Issue: 8, 33 - 39, 29.04.2024

Özlem Şensoy Hande Özgörü Demet Sökün Ayaz Serap Balcı

https://doi.org/10.58252/artukluhealth.1475136

Abstract

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been reported that the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents has increased significantly. Children, whose parents are nurses at risk of both being infected with COVID-19 and experiencing high level of anxiety. The aim of this study was to determine the trait anxiety levels of children whose parents are nurses during COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 104 nurse parents and their children who were reached by snowball sampling method in Istanbul between May and August 2022. Data were collected using the 'Descriptive Information Form' and 'State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children'.
Results: The mean trait anxiety score of the children was 36.85± 8.96. It was identified that 53% of the children were girls, 36% were 9 years old and 91.3% did not have a chronic disease. There was a meaningful difference between children's trait anxiety levels and being an only child (0.036; p<0.05) and caring for patients infected with COVID-19 by parents (0.041; p<0.05). A total of 82.7% of the parents who participated in the study reported that their children became anxious during the time they were working; 59.4% reported that they and their families needed psychological support during the pandemic.
Conclusion: As a result of this study, it was found that the anxiety levels of children whose parents were nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic were high. Considering the effects of the pandemic on children, structuring psychological support services for healthcare workers and their families should be taken into consideration in healthcare service planning. Working conditions of nurses working with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 should be improved and plans should be made to prevent them and their children from experiencing intense anxiety.

Keywords

Anxiety, Children, COVID-19, Nurse, Parent

Ebeveyni Hemşire Olan Çocukların COVID-19 Pandemi Sürecinde Kaygı Düzeylerinin Belirlenmesi

Abstract

Giriş: COVID-19 pandemisinde; çocuk ve ergenlerde görülen psikiyatrik hastalıkların yaygınlığının önemli ölçüde arttığı bildirilmiştir. Ebeveyni hemşire olan çocuklar hem COVID-19 ile enfekte olma hem de yüksek anksiyete düzeyi açısından riski altındadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı ebeveyni hemşire olan çocukların, COVID-19 pandemi sürecinde sürekli kaygı düzeylerini belirlemektir.
Yöntem: Kesitsel-tanımlayıcı nitelikteki bu çalışma, Mayıs-Ağustos 2022 tarihleri arasında İstanbul ilinde kartopu örnekleme yöntemiyle ulaşılan 104 hemşire ebeveyn ve çocukları ile yürütülmüştür. Veriler ‘Tanıtıcı Bilgi Formu’ ve ‘Çocuklar için Durumluk-Sürekli Kaygı Envanteri’ kullanılarak toplanmıştır.
Bulgular: Çocukların sürekli kaygı puan ortalamaları 36.85±8.96 olarak saptanmıştır. Çocukların %53’ünün kız, %36’sının 9 yaşında olduğu ve %91.3’ünün kronik rahatsızlığının olmadığı belirlenmiştir. Çocukların sürekli kaygı düzeyleri ile tek çocuk olmak (0.036; p<0.05) ve ebeveynin COVID-19 tanısı alan hastaya bakım verme durumu (0.041; p<0.05) arasında anlamlı bir fark olduğu belirlenmiştir. Araştırmaya katılan ebeveynlerin %82.7’si çalıştıkları süre boyunca çocuklarının kaygılandığını; %59.4’ü kendisinin ve ailesinin pandemi sırasında psikolojik desteğe ihtiyaç duyduğunu bildirmiştir.
Sonuç: Bu çalışmanın sonucunda, COVID-19 pandemi sürecinde ebeveyni hemşire olan çocuklarının anksiyete düzeylerinin yüksek olduğu bulunmuştur. Pandeminin çocuklar üzerindeki etkileri dikkate alınarak, sağlık çalışanı ve aileleri için psikolojik destek hizmetlerinin yapılandırılması göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır. COVID-19 tanılı hastalarla çalışan hemşirelerin çalışma koşulları iyileştirilmeli, kendilerinin ve çocuklarının yoğun anksiyete yaşamalarını önleyecek planlamalar yapılmalıdır.

Keywords

Anksiyete, Çocuk, COVID-19, Hemşire, Ebeveyn

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