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Why do more than 90% of nurses experience post-traumatic stress disorder?
Nurses have always played a vital role in the medical industry. Not only are they responsible for the day-to-day care of their patients, they often face many challenging situations, including life crises, patients’ suffering, and even sudden violent incidents. According to surveys, more than 90% of nurses have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during their careers, which has attracted widespread attention from society.
Most nurses said they experienced varying degrees of psychological trauma at work, which was closely related to their working environment and patients' behavior.
The roots of traumatic experiences
Traumatic events that nurses may be exposed to in their work include, but are not limited to, emergency situations, patient deaths, major accidents, and violent incidents. These experiences can cause lasting emotional damage, which can lead to symptoms of PTSD such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and mood swings.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical staff are facing unprecedented pressure. Many nurses report feeling unbearable anxiety and stress due to the surge in patient volumes and the threat of the current pandemic. This not only affects their mental health, but also significantly reduces their work efficiency.
Challenges of the work environment
In addition to direct psychological trauma, nurses face other challenges in their work environment. According to some studies, nurses often struggle with long shifts, which can disrupt their biological clocks and affect their sleep quality. About 32% of nurses reported sleeping less than six hours per night.
Incidents of violence are also increasing, and many nurses suffer psychological trauma from attacks by patients or their families, further exacerbating their psychological stress.
Lack of social and workplace support
Insufficient social and workplace support for high-pressure work may be another reason for the worsening of nurses' mental health problems. Many nurses report that the stressful work environment has become unbearable due to understaffing, low wages, and a lack of understanding of medical work.
Some hospitals and medical institutions fail to provide adequate mental health support, such as professional psychological counseling or stress management training, which makes nurses often feel isolated and helpless when facing workplace challenges.
Coping strategies
The solution to this dilemma must be a joint effort by the government, medical institutions and society. First of all, it is necessary to improve the working environment of nurses and provide necessary resources to support their careers, including mental health counseling and stress management training. In addition, increasing staffing to reduce the workload of nursing staff is also an important solution strategy.
ConclusionConducting regular mental health assessments and providing necessary psychological support so that nurses can get help when they are emotionally vulnerable is an important part of protecting their mental health.
Nurses play an important role in the healthcare system, but the mental health challenges they face cannot be ignored. Society should be aware of their situation and provide support. What else do we need to do to improve the working environment for nurses and increase respect for the profession?
