TY  - EJOU
AU  - Clarissa, Catherine 
AU  - Chen, Chien 
AU  - Aviles, Lissette 
AU  - Chen, Lu-Yen Anny 

TI  - Gender Differences in Pandemic-Related Psychological Distress among Taiwanese Nurses
T2  - International Journal of Mental Health Promotion

PY  - 
VL  - 
IS  - 
SN  - 2049-8543

AB  - <b>Background:</b> Gender may shape how nurses experience occupational exposure, psychosocial burden, and psychological distress during infectious disease emergencies. This study examined gender-related differences in pandemic experiences, and psychological distress among nurses in Taiwan. <b>Methods:</b> This secondary analysis used online survey data collected from January to June 2021. After excluding three gender-code-3 respondents, 2698 nurses remained. Gender comparisons used standard or Welch <i>t</i>-tests, the Mann–Whitney U test, and chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests, as appropriate. Hierarchical and gender-stratified linear regressions used listwise deletion, treated “I don’t know” responses as missing, and reported robust standard errors. <b>Results:</b> Participants included 2519 women and 179 men. Male nurses more frequently self-reported screening or treating suspected cases and directly caring for suspected or confirmed patients; female nurses reported greater infection worry and family/friend avoidance. Total Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IESR) scores did not differ by gender. In the fully adjusted complete-case model (N = 1557), gender was not associated with IES-R score (B = 0.48, 95% CI −2.26 to 3.22; <i>p</i> = 0.732), whereas each one-point increase in infection worry was associated with a 5.33-point higher score (95% CI 4.67 to 5.99; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). The latter association was statistically significant, but clinical significance was not formally assessed because no prespecified clinically meaningful threshold was used. Adding psychosocial variables increased R<sup>2</sup> by 0.201 (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), yielding final R<sup>2</sup> = 0.275. Stratified models identified infection worry in both genders and additional psychosocial correlates among women; coefficient differences were not formally tested. <b>Conclusions:</b> Gender-related differences were more evident in exposure and psychosocial burden than in overall distress. Nursing management should ensure equitable high-exposure assignments and provide needs-based support addressing infection worry, stigma, and social isolation.
KW  - Gender; COVID-19; nurses; psychological distress; Taiwan

DO  - 10.32604/ijmhp.2026.086388