exploring the relationship between job stress and allergic rhinitis among nurses caring for covid-19 patients

Background and aims: allergic rhinitis is a debilitating disease which may lead to impaired quality of life and can be related to psychological stress in nurses caring for covid-19. this study examined the relationship between job stress and allergic rhinitis in nurses caring for covid-19 patients in educational centers affiliated to ahvaz jundishapur university of medical sciences, ahvaz, iran. methods: this descriptive-analytical research was conducted on 230 hospital nurses caring for covid-19 patients in the city of ahvaz in 2021. patient recruitment was done using stratified random sampling method. the data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, the score for allergic rhinitis (sfar), and the expanded nursing stress scale (enss). results: this study showed that the mean occupational stress score of the nurses caring for covid-19 was 96.017±35.946, which indicates a low level of occupational stress among them. the mean allergic rhinitis score of the nurses under study was 6.13±3.484, and its prevalence among nurses was 46.01%. a significant correlation was observed between nursing occupational stress and allergic rhinitis among nurses caring for covid-19 (p=0.019 and r=0.154). conclusion: increasing awareness of the link between job stress and allergic rhinitis among health professionals is a top priority. further research into any causal relationship between job stress and allergic rhinitis, as well as preventative public health plans for decreasing job stress in nurses, is needed.