Publication date: Jun 23, 2026
Although healthcare systems have largely stabilized following the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-term psychological adaptation of nurses and midwives remains insufficiently understood. Persistent exposure to uncertainty and individual health-related vulnerabilities may contribute to sustained anxiety beyond the acute crisis phase. This study aimed to assess levels of state anxiety, trait anxiety, and intolerance of uncertainty among nurses and midwives in the post-pandemic period, and to examine whether intolerance of uncertainty, chronic health conditions, and professional experience are associated with elevated trait anxiety. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 1,201 nurses and midwives working in public hospitals in Albania. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling, and data were collected from March 2024 to May 2025 using a structured questionnaire adapted into Albanian, including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the 12-item Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-12). Descriptive and inferential analyses, including group comparisons, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression, were performed using SPSS. Statistical significance was set at p
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| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Albanian | Cronic conditions |
| Hospitals | Intolerance of uncertainty |
| Intolerance | Midwives |
| Midwives | Nurses |
| Professional | Post-pandemic |
| Trait anxiety |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | anxiety |
| disease | MESH | chronic conditions |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |
| pathway | REACTOME | Reproduction |
| disease | MESH | included |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Coenzyme M |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Etoperidone |
| disease | MESH | emergency |
| pathway | REACTOME | Translation |
| disease | MESH | face |
| disease | MESH | IBM |
| disease | MESH | hypertension |
| disease | MESH | fatigue |