To analyze the changes in the psychological status of clinical nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide a theoretical reference for effective psychological and social intervention.

Sampling survey method was employed, and a self-assessment questionnaire survey was conducted on 849 clinical nurses in a grade A tertiary hospital in Chongqing from February 20 to March 1, 2020. Questionnaires included a basic demographic survey, Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). The scores of 9 indicators including somatization, anxiety, depression, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, fear, paranoia, compulsion and psychoticism in SCL-90 were respectively compared with the corresponding values of Chinese nurses SCL-90 norm and Chinese population SCL-90 norm. The SAS score was compared with the corresponding SAS norm of the Chinese population. The t test was used to analyze the difference between groups.

Most of the interviewees were female nurses (96.2%, 817/849), 63.2%(537/849)of them held junior titles and general ward nurses accounted for 83.9%(712/849). The total score of SCL-90 for clinical nurses was 145.1±39.6, and the scores in somatization, compulsion, depression, anxiety and fear were significantly higher than those in the norm of Chinese nurses (t= 7.113, 3.738, 2.600, 3.850, 11.975, all P<0.050). In this study, the SAS score of clinical nurses was 51.3±6.1, indicating mild anxiety, which was significantly higher than the SAS norm of the Chinese population(n=1158, 37.9±12.5)(t=12.507, P<0.001).

Clinical nurses suffer a variety of mental and psychological symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly manifested as mild anxiety and crisis reactions. The regulators should provide different psychological counseling and intervention strategies to different clinical nurses to reduce their psychological pressure and ensure the management of clinical nursery. The psychological training of nursing staff should be strengthened and a more comprehensive psychological intervention system and a nurse support system should be established.