The COVID‐19 pandemic has caused serious psychological consequences in the general population and particularly in health professionals. Among these, a group that is considered at risk is nurses who found themselves working on the front lines. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms among Spanish nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic and to determine the correlation between anxiety, depression and associated factors. Design: A cross‐sectional descriptive correlational study was conducted. Methods: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used for the evaluation of anxiety and depression symptoms. The study was carried out during the months of February to May 2021. An online form was used due to the difficulties in carrying out in‐person research as a result of health restrictions. Information about the study, sociodemographic variables, variables related to COVID‐19 and the HADS was sent. Results: Of the total sample, 73.1% presented any anxiety symptoms and 44.1% presented any depression symptoms. Conclusions: Anxiety symptoms were associated with female sex, living with parents, schedule changes, perceiving high exposure, fear, no sport/recreation and stressful work; depression associated with stressful work and absence of fear; and depression cooccurred with anxiety. Depression symptoms were associated with stressful work and absence of fear. These data should be valuable for the dissemination of occupational health policies regarding anxiety and depression detection and further psychological support of nurses and promote both physical and psychological well‐being among this professional group.

Background: Post‐intensive care syndrome includes physical, cognitive and psychological impairments that may persist after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU), with anxiety and depression among the most commonly reported symptoms. Evidence on these symptoms beyond the first year after discharge remains limited, particularly in patients admitted for COVID‐19. Aim: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of anxiety and depression symptoms among patients previously admitted to the ICU for COVID‐19 within three years after discharge, and to examine differences according to sociodemographic and clinical variables. Study Design: A multicentre, descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted among ICU survivors in Spain using clinical records and structured telephone interviews. Sociodemographic, clinical and patient‐reported outcomes were obtained. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess symptoms of anxiety (HADS‐A) and depression (HADS‐D). Results: A total of 106 participants were included. Mean anxiety (HADS‐A) and depression (HADS‐D) scores were 6.5 (SD ±3.9) and 6.7 (SD ±3.8), respectively. Female sex was linked to higher anxiety ( β = 1.73; 95% CI, 0.32–3.13; p = 0.016), while memory problems were associated with higher anxiety ( β = 1.49; 95% CI, 0.14–2.83; p = 0.031) and depression ( β = 1.65; 95% CI, 0.43–2.86; p = 0.009). Depression was also higher in participants with greater pain ( β = 0.50; 95% CI, 0.15–0.84; p = 0.006). Higher quality of life ( β = −0.07; 95% CI, −0.11 to −0.03; p < 0.001) was associated with lower depression scores. Conclusions: Anxiety and depression were common among individuals with a history of ICU admission due to COVID‐19 up to three years after discharge. Psychological symptoms should be considered alongside physical and cognitive aspects. Relevance to Clinical Practice: Incorporating psychological assessment into the long‐term follow‐up may facilitate identifying individuals who may benefit from further support.

Background: Modifiable lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity and smoking, are important determinants of health and may influence the mental well-being of nursing professionals. However, evidence simultaneously examining these factors and their associations with sociodemographic, occupational, and mental health factors remains limited. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyse the sociodemographic and occupational factors, as well as anxiety and depressive symptoms, associated with smoking status and physical activity among Spanish nursing professionals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June and August 2021, including 1216 Spanish nursing professionals. Participants completed an online questionnaire assessing sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, smoking status, physical activity, and symptoms of anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression models identified factors associated with smoking status and physical activity. Results: Overall, 19.0% of participants were current smokers and 49.2% reported physical activity. Self-reported physical activity was positively associated with being a registered nurse, being male, being separated or widowed, living alone, and longer time working in the current service, whereas having children and current smoking were associated with lower odds of being physically active. Current smoking was less likely among older professionals, registered nurses, participants reporting physical activity, and those with anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: Physical activity and smoking showed an inverse association and were related to different sociodemographic and occupational characteristics among Spanish nursing professionals. The inverse association between anxiety symptoms and current smoking was unexpected and should be interpreted with caution. These findings may inform workplace health promotion strategies addressing physical activity and tobacco use together, while considering the specific needs of different professional groups within the nursing workforce.

Background: Intensive care units (ICUs) represent the apex of technological medicine, yet the relational and ethical conditions sustaining humane practice remain structurally vulnerable. Despite extensive discourse, “humanization” in ICU contexts is conceptually diffuse and insufficiently integrated into nursing governance and organizational design.Purpose: This paper introduces the HUMAN-ICU framework, a middle-range governance architecture that positions humanized care as an institutional capability rather than an individual disposition.Theoretical Approach: Through abductive conceptual synthesis integrating caring science, organizational ethics, psychological safety scholarship, moral distress theory, and Donabedian’s structure–process–outcome logic, the framework translates normative commitments into accountable system domains.Contribution: HUMAN-ICU specifies five interdependent governance pillars that render dignity, ethical integration, interprofessional alignment, family partnership, and reflective learning reproducible within ICU systems.Implications: The model provides theoretically coherent and empirically testable platform for leadership activation, measurement development, and staged implementation, advancing nursing’s capacity to design technologically advanced yet morally sustainable intensive care environments

Background: Workplace happiness is a multidimensional construct closely linked to professional well-being, job satisfaction, and quality of care in nursing. The scale validated by Ramírez-García et al. (2019) from the original instrument of Del Junco et al. (2013) identifies two underlying factorial dimensions: factors related to the job position (Factor 1) and factors related to the worker as an individual (Factor 2). The aim of this study was to describe workplace happiness in a sample of Spanish nursing professionals and to analyse the sociodemographic and occupational predictors of each factorial dimension. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive observational study (March–April 2024) was conducted among 150 professionals from two hospitals in northern Spain. The 15-item SHAW scale (7-point Likert format) was applied. Both factorial subscales were reconstructed using mean scores weighted by the published factor loadings of Ramírez-García et al. (2019). Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U tests and multiple linear regression were performed using 14 sociodemographic and occupational variables as predictors for each factor. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean SHAW total score was 78.33 ± 13.29 (range 32–105). Factor 1 (job position) yielded a mean score of 4.62 ± 1.29, and Factor 2 (worker) of 5.68 ± 1.00. In the regression model for Factor 1 (adjusted R² = 0.112; p = 0.007), work shift (β = −0.500; p = 0.010), informal caregiving role (β = −0.505; p = 0.047) and pharmacological treatment for anxiety or depression (β = −0.982; p = 0.003) were significant predictors. For Factor 2 (adjusted R² = 0.314; p < 0.001), significant predictors were contract type (β = −0.471; p = 0.001), marital status (β = 0.325; p = 0.030), total professional experience (β = 0.036; p = 0.049), seniority in current unit (β = −0.035; p = 0.008) and pharmacological treatment (β = −0.865; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Workplace happiness in nursing shows a bifactorial profile with differentiated determinants. Organisational and contractual conditions specifically predict job-related factors, while mental health, marital status and professional trajectory determine individual worker well-being. These findings support the need for targeted interventions tailored to each dimension of happiness.