"Embracing the Inner Strength and Staying Strong": Exploring Self-Care Preparedness among Nurses for Enhancing Their Psychological Well-Being against the Long-Term Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic in Brunei Darussalam.

During three years of the unprecedented, massive COVID-19 pandemic that affected the world, nurse front liners faced substantial challenges and experienced long-term adverse mental health. This study explored psychological self-care practices undertaken by nurses to strengthen their mental health and develop resilience in their professional care role while addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 era. A qualitative descriptive exploratory study was conducted on 40 nurses who worked in providing COVID-19 care across Brunei using focus groups aided by semi-structured open-ended questions.

Nurses' mental health and coping strategies throughout COVID-19 outbreak: A nationwide qualitative study.

This qualitative exploratory study explored nurses' mental health and coping strategies working with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients in Brunei Darussalam. Eleven focus group discussions were conducted between October 2020 and January 2021, involving 75 participants. Three themes emerged: 'COVID-19 roller-coaster transitional journey' explained the different psychological responses of the journey of the nurses from merely hearing about COVID-19 from far to the invasion of the virus and community outbreak in the country; 'Mind my mind and heart' share experiences of the nurses in terms of their mental health and emotional responses; and 'the psychosocial system' described the coping mechanisms of the nurses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.