Abstract

Objective: to explore the current knowledge about mental health among Nursing professors faced with the challenges of distance learning, as well as to describe their performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health. Methods: an integrative review in the PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science and SciELO databases, from 2016 to 2021, and in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Minayo’s thematic analysis was conducted with those documents selected. Results: forty-two (42) documents were selected. Two thematic areas were determined: 1. Elements which define the mental health of Nursing professors currently: distance methodologies hinder the delivery of contents, and high levels of anxiety are also detected among students and professors; the latter are exposed to heavy workloads in this new scenario, which have an impact on their mental health. 2. How to strengthen the mental health of Nursing professors faced with uncertain sociosanitary scenarios? An intervention in the mental health of professors is necessary, with improvements and reinforcement in the face of current exhaustion. Institutional policies orientated to improving this work are essential for their mental health, as well as to enhance the quality of on-line courses. Conclusions: although Nursing has demonstrated being a profession able to adapt to the new challenges of remote learning, this process has had an impact on their mental health, and it is necessary to implement strategies to protect it.