Prior Pandemic Experience May Not Offer Protection From Psychological Distress: A Cross‐Sectional Study on Nurses’ Psychological Experiences

Background There is a pressing need to better prepare the nursing workforce for future health emergencies. Yet limited studies from developing countries have examined the impact of COVID‐19 on nurses’ psychological experiences in relation to preparedness. Aims To investigate nurses’ psychological experiences and preparedness for the COVID‐19 pandemic in Chile, Indonesia and Taiwan. Methods A cross‐sectional study. An online validated survey. Recruitment utilised a snowball sampling strategy, engaging nursing networks, social media platforms and hospital nursing unions. The survey gathered demographic data and evaluated nurses’ preparedness and stress using the Impact of Event Scale‐Revised (IES‐R) and experiences in managing COVID‐19, from 1 January to 30 June 2021. Results A total of 3633 nurses participated. Over 76.0% of participants from Chile and Indonesia managed a COVID‐19 case, while only 37.3% of Taiwanese participants had cared for COVID‐19 patients. The correlational analysis demonstrated that confidence in using personal protective equipment, adherence to workplace guidelines and involvement in assessing suspected COVID‐19 cases had a significant correlation with participants’ stress levels. The stepwise regression analysis showed that concerns about contracting COVID‐19 and experiencing discrimination at work could predict nurses’ stress levels, with preparedness as a nonsignificant factor in predicting the IES‐R score. Conclusion Prior pandemic experience seems not to be a protective factor for psychological distress. Nurses’ fear of contracting COVID‐19 and the risk of social isolation due to discrimination while working with COVID‐19 patients were associated with higher stress levels. Findings provide evidence for continuous and proactive psychological support for nurses, and further collaborative research should focus on better prepared nursing workforce ahead of future health emergencies.