Program
Physician Assistant M.S.
Number of Pages
80
Year Approved
2023
First Advisor
Haveman, Tammie
Second Reader
Angela Whitely; Donald Hopper
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health illness that has become an increasing concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals suffering from PTSD are more likely to suffer from suicidal ideation, suicidal attempts, and death by suicide. Due to the recency of the COVID-19 pandemic, the research conducted on PTSD in nurses from the pandemic is limited. The PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was distributed to Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) and Faith Community Nurse Network of the Greater Twin Cities (FCNNTC). Additionally, participants filled out what field of medicine they worked in and their perceived emotional burden from working during the pandemic. Out of 2,634 registered nurses (RNs), 42.14% met diagnostic criteria for probable PTSD. There was no statistically significant difference in prevalence of probable PTSD between medical fields except for a lower than expected prevalence of probable PTSD in the “all other” category. Those who met diagnostic criteria for probable PTSD had significantly higher levels of emotional burden from the pandemic, while those who did not meet criteria for probable PTSD had significantly lower levels of emotional burden from the pandemic. In conclusion, the data suggests the COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role in the psychological health of nurses.
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Physician Assistant
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Bergstrand, J. A., Gritters, C. N., Homolka, S., & Morrison, M. M. (2023). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Registered Nurses During the Covid-19 Pandemic [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/943