General Anxiety Predictors among Frontline Warriors of COVID: Cross-Sectional Study among Nursing Staff in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has increased the generalized anxiety among nursing staff. This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study aimed to determine the generalized anxiety disorders among the nursing staff working in secondary and tertiary care hospitals in Punjab province, Pakistan. A GAD-7 scale was used to assess anxiety. Non-parametric statistics were applied to estimate the difference among the groups. Multiple regression model was adopted to explore the impact of covariates on the GAD-7 score. A total of 133 nurses responded to this survey. It was revealed that being female (7.38 +/- 4.20, p=0.032) and having an age of >= 31 years (7.68 +/- 5.14) might lead to a higher GAD-7 score. 19.6% of the respondents had a high level of generalized anxiety (GAD-7 score >= 10), and about 49.6% were falling in the range of mild anxiety. Female nursing staff have the probability of higher GAD-7 score up to 15% [0.148(-0.450 - 4.697), p= 0.049]. Job experience, especially being new to the field (