Impact of Workplace Social Capital and COVID-19 on the Psychological Distress of Hospital Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated psychological distress among frontline and non-frontline nurses. However, several research findings suggest that workplace social capital may have been strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby reducing the deterioration of psychological distress. This study investigated the perceptions of change in workplace social capital from before the COVID-19 pandemic to the time of the survey. This study also examined the influence of variables related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as experience of discrimination related to COVID-19, on psychological distress by targeting hospital nurses. An online survey was conducted among nurses at 138 hospitals in a prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan from July 7 to August 8, 2022; respondents worked in their respective hospitals before and during the pandemic (N = 1,075). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used with psychological distress as the dependent variable, perceptions of change in workplace social capital and variables related to the COVID-19 pandemic as independent variables, and personal attributes as control variables. Four hundred and fifteen (38.6%) participants perceived a deterioration in workplace social capital before the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas 194 (18.0%) perceived improvements. Their psychological distress was influenced by marital status, experience dealing with patients suspected of having COVID-19, experience of discrimination based on COVID-19, workplace social capital at the time of the survey, and the perceptions of change in workplace social capital. Some nurses perceived improvements in workplace social capital owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in workplace social capital and experiences of discrimination based on COVID-19 were factors affecting nurses' psychological distress. To prepare for future pandemics, it is necessary to examine the deterioration of workplace social capital and discrimination against medical workers caused by COVID-19 and consider strategies to prevent the worsening of nurses' psychological distress.