Aim: To identify the factors affecting fear, anxiety and depressive symptoms among frontline nurses working with COVID‐19 patients or are in charge of COVID‐19 screening in Korea.Background: Nurses are at a higher risk of COVID‐19 infection because they are in closer, longer‐duration contact with patients. These situations can negatively affect the mental health of nurses.Methods: This study analysed data from COVID‐19 module in the Korean Nurses’ Health Study. Data from 906 participants were analysed. To identify the factors influencing mental health, descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed.Results: Caring for patients who are COVID‐19‐positive increased levels of fear, anxiety and depressive symptoms of nurses. The hospital safety climate influenced mental well‐being among nurses.Conclusion: Caring for patients with COVID‐19 had a negative impact on fear, anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, the higher was the perceived hospital safety climate, the lower were the nurses’ psychological symptoms. Further research on the mental health of nurses is warranted.Implications for nursing and health policy: Institutions should manage human resources to enable periodic rotation of nurses’ work and working periods related to COVID‐19. In addition, hospital managers should provide sufficient personal protective equipment, related education, and safety climate.

Background: Burnout among nurses is a worldwide public health epidemic that adversely affects nurses’ quality of life as well as the patient’s outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of stress on nurses’ burnout and to identify the mediating effects of secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction among clinical nurses in South Korea. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional study evaluated the survey data from 10,305 female registered hospital nurses who participated in the Korea Nurses’ Health Study (KNHS) Module 5. The survey included a demographic questionnaire and the Professional Quality of Life version 5 (ProQOL 5). Bootstrap analyses (using the PROCESS macro) were employed to evaluate the mediating effect between variables. Results: Stress was significantly associated with burnout and mediated by secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction (β_{indirect 1} = 0.185, Bootstrap confidence interval (BS CI) [0.175, 0.194]; β_{indirect 2} = 0.226, BS CI [0.212, 0.241], respectively). In addition, the magnitude of the indirect effects of compassion satisfaction was significantly greater than the magnitude of the indirect effects of secondary traumatic stress (β_{indirect 1}-β_{indirect 2} = − 0.042, BS CI [− 0.058, − 0.026]). The findings of this study indicate that the positive aspect (compassion satisfaction) of work experiences can offset the negative aspects (secondary traumatic stress), consequently reducing burnout level. Conclusions: Our study findings suggest that a multidimensional approach to assessing nurse burnout and implementation of proper management will improve quality of life for nurses and help maintain positive attitudes and quality of patient care.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an important public health problem, and unhealthy dietary habits and shift work are considered major factors that increase the prevalence of MetS. The purpose of this study was to examine whether dietary habits, alcohol drinking, and shift-working were associated with development of MetS in shift-working female nurses. This study analyzed cross-sectional survey data from the Korea Nurses’ Health Study (KNHS). Of the 1638 nurses, 403 participants were selected based on the propensity score matching method (PSM). These participants had either no or more than three MetS determinant factors. Analysis was conducted by using multivariable logistic regression to confirm the factors influencing MetS. The prevalence of MetS in this group (1638 participants) was 5.6% (92 participants). Consumption of over 50% of daily calorie intake after 7 p.m., consumption of carbonated drinks, family history of diabetes, and non-shift work were significant factors influencing MetS. Nurses are one of the at-risk groups for unhealthy dietary habits due to the nature of their work. Therefore, nurse managers should include regular dietary education for nurses and continue their policy efforts to resolve health problems that may arise in connection with nurses’ work.