ABSTRACT
Objective
To identify factors associated with the health-related quality of life of nursing professionals in Bahia, Brazil, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method
Cross-sectional study with snowball sampling including 113 nurses and nursing technicians. From September 2020 to May 2021, sociodemographic, occupational, epidemiological, and quality of life information was collected in an electronic form and evaluated with the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, according to its Physical, Psychological, Social relations, and Environmental domains. Multiple linear regression was used to identify factors associated with variation in the four quality of life domains of the WHOQOL-BREF.
Results
Low mean quality of life scores were significantly associated with being a suspected case of COVID-19 (in the Physical domain), withdrawing from professional practice due to COVID-19 (Physical and Psychological domains), working exclusively in private institutions (Social relations), older age (Social relations), and lack of social support (in the Physical, Psychological, Social Relations, and Environmental domains).
Conclusion and implications for the practice
Older age, exclusive work in private institutions, being a suspected case of COVID-19, withdrawing from professional practice due to COVID-19, and lack of social support were associated with lower quality of life of nursing professionals during the pandemic.
Keywords:
Social support; COVID-19; pandemics; nursing professionals; quality of life