Title: Narcissism and perceived stress among Italian hospital nurses during COVID-19: the moderator role of age

Authors: Simona Leonelli; Emanuele Primavera

Addresses: Department of Economics and Management "M. Fanno", University of Padova, 35123 Padova, Italy ' Orthopaedical Department, 'Spirito Santo' Hospital, 65125 Pescara, Italy

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the reorganisation and creation of new hospitals, shocking healthcare workers' routines. This study investigates nurses' stress perception in COVID-19 time and how some antecedents (i.e., narcissism and age) impact it. The paper focuses on two facets of narcissism, i.e., Leadership/Authority and Entitlement/Exploitativeness. We recruited 281 nurses who completed an online survey investigating their stress perception levels and personalities. Data are analysed using hierarchical linear modelling and simple slope analyses. Results show that Leadership/Authority negatively influences stress perception, while Entitlement/Exploitativeness positively influences it. Furthermore, nurses' age moderates the above relationships. The study contributes to narcissism, stress and nursing literature, showing some positive facets of narcissism that might be useful for reducing stress perception and facilitating human relationships in the work environment, both in emergency and non-emergency contexts.

Keywords: perceived stress; narcissism; Leadership/Authority; Entitlement/Exploitativeness; age; COVID-19.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2022.128205

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 2022 Vol.19 No.3/4, pp.260 - 279

Published online: 11 Jan 2023 *

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