Effect of a group-based acceptance and commitment therapy programme on the mental health of clinical nurses during the COVID-19 sporadic outbreak period

Aim To develop and implement of a group-based acceptance and commitment therapy programme in helping clinical nurses with mental health problems during the sporadic COVID-19 outbreak period. Background In the face of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, clinical nurses have a high risk of mental health issues. Methods A quasi-experimental design was used. Two hundred twenty-six nurses were recruited from four general hospitals to receive 10 sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy programme. The Symptom Checklist-90, Perceived Stress Scale and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale were used to assess nurses' mental health symptom, perceived stress and psychological resilience at pre-intervention and 4-week post-intervention. Results The mean attendance sessions was 5.78. The Symptom Checklist-90 score was significantly lower at post-intervention than pre-intervention (P < 0.01), and there were no significant changes of perceived stress and psychological resilience. There were significant correlations among the changed rates of mental health, perceived stress and psychological resilience (P < 0.01). Conclusion The acceptance and commitment therapy programme was effective in relieving mental health symptoms for clinical nurses and could protect clinical nurses' perceived stress and psychological resilience. However, a randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm the findings. Implication for Nursing Management To facilitate clinical nurses' psychological health in crisis situation, nursing management team should provide and allocated appropriate resources to support the healthcare providers.