Impact of social support on PTSD : Chain mediating effects of insomnia and anxiety.

OBJECTIVE

To reveal the chain mediating roles of insomnia and anxiety between social support and PTSD in nursing staff under the stage of COVID-19 regular pandemic prevention and control in China.

METHODS

A total of 784 nurses were recruited using the convenience sampling method in Jiangsu Province, China. Demographic questionnaire, Perceived Social Support Scale, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Insomnia Severity Index were applied to collect data.

RESULTS

Social support, PTSD, insomnia and anxiety were significantly correlated with each other. Insomnia and anxiety acted as chain mediators between social support and PTSD.

CONCLUSION

Insufficient social support may trigger PTSD through the chain mediating effects of insomnia and anxiety in nursing staff under the stage of COVID-19 regular pandemic prevention and control. Measures focusing on social support, insomnia and anxiety should be taken to reduce or even prevent PTSD in nursing staff in Chinese hospitals in similar crises in the future.