Background and Objectives: Delirium is highly prevalent in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). While prior studies have identified hyperactive and hyperalert behaviors as major stressors for nurses caring for delirious patients, limited research exists on ICU nurses’ stress specifically related to delirium care. This study aims to investigate the stress experienced by ICU nurses in China when managing patients with delirium. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in China from January to February 2023. A total of 243 ICU nurses participated by completing an online survey that included the Personal Information Questionnaire and the Strain of Caring for Delirium Index (SCDI). Although 260 responses were initially collected, 29 invalid questionnaires were excluded, resulting in a final sample size of 243 valid responses. The SCDI scale demonstrated reliable internal consistency, with Cronbach’s α coefficients of 0.744, 0.812, 0.778, and 0.920 across its four subscales. Results: The survey results indicated that hypoactive delirium behaviors were perceived as the most significant stressors when caring for delirious patients. Among the behaviors, “noisy/yelling” was identified as the most challenging, whereas “pulling at tubes, dressings” was rated as the least challenging. No significant associations were found between demographic factors and stress levels. Conclusion: This study sheds light on the stress levels ICU nurses experience when caring for delirious patients, particularly in relation to hypoactive behaviors. Based on these findings, it is recommended that nurse managers implement stress management strategies and provide targeted delirium-related care training to better support ICU nurses and enhance the quality of delirium care.
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