The “Healthcare Workers’ Wellbeing [Benessere Operatori]” Project: A Longitudinal Evaluation of Psychological Responses of Italian Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
During the last year, the COVID-19 outbreak put all the healthcare workers around the world at risk of physical and psychological sequelae. The general purpose of the present study was to assess the mental health of Italian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak and to identify high-risk groups. Here, we present results from the baseline assessment of the “Healthcare workers’ wellbeing (Benessere Operatori)” project on a sample of 1055 healthcare workers. Participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Healthcare workers who worked in COVID wards reported higher levels of anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress, anger, and burnout, compared to those reported by the healthcare workers who worked in non-COVID wards. Moreover, nurses, both in COVID and non-COVID wards, were at higher risk of experiencing psychological ...
BJPsych Open, 2021
Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused drastic changes in healthcare and severe social restrictions. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are on the front line against the virus and have been highly exposed to pandemic-related stressors, but there are limited data on their psychological involvement for a large sample in Italy. Aims To investigate the prevalence of anxiety, distress and burnout in HCWs of North-West Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to detect potential psychosocial factors associated with their emotional response. Method This cross-sectional, survey-based study enrolled 797 HCWs. Participants completed the Impact of Event Scale – Revised, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory – Form Y and the Maslach Burnout Inventory; demographic, family and work characteristics were also collected. Global psychological outcome, differences among professions and independent factors associated with worst psychological outcome were assessed. Results Almost a third of the sample had severe sta...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
This study aimed to evaluate the mental health outcomes of health care workers (HCWs) of the Verona academic hospital trust (Italy) one year after the outbreak of COVID-19 and to identify predicted risk factors. A web-based survey was conducted from mid-April to mid-May 2021 on hospital workers one year after the first evaluation performed during the lock-down phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-traumatic stress, general anxiety, depression, and burnout were assessed by using, respectively, the impact of event scale (IES-R), the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Maslach burnout inventory-general survey (MBI-GS). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with each of the four mental health outcomes one year after the COVID-19 outbreak. A total of 1033 HCWs participated. The percentage of HCWs scoring above the cut-off increased from 2020 to 2021 in all of the outcome domains (anxiety, 50.1% ...
2021
Background: Depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and poor sleep quality increased in healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to assess levels of psychological distress in Umbrian HCWs during the COVID-19 Phase 1 lockdown along with exploring the relationship between sociodemographic/occupational factors. Methods: Data on sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, change of job description, economic losses and emergency involvement and SARS-CoV2 infections in the workplace were collected using an anonymous online survey sent by healthcare professional associations. Data concerning psychological healthcare distress, were collected anonymously using BIAS 20 (stress balance) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Results: One thousand and one healthcare workers responded to the questionnaire. Biological risk at work was perceived by all HCWs, less so from psychologists and more so from those working in hospitals. Stress symptoms (DASS21 >14) were associated with a younger age group (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.97-0.99) and less work experience (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.96-0.99). Younger age was also associated with anxiety symptoms (DASS 21 >7) (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.97-0.99), as well as graduate/post graduate education level (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.14-3.63). Working as an independent contractor was a risk factor for high stress health impact (
Psychological effects of COVID-19 outbreak in hospital workers during the Italian third phase
Working Paper of Public Health
Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore the psychological impact of COVID-19 outbreak, during the so-called phase three of the infection in Italy, in healthcare workers and other professionals working in the Public Hospital “SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo” in the Piedmont Region.Methods: A monocentric prospective observational study was conducted on 113 hospital workers by completing an online survey. Data were collected from 29th June to 20th July 2020. The survey assessed self-reported socio-demographic, clinical, work and COVID-19 related information and risk perception. Moreover, it included an online version of validated questionnaires in the Italian language: Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Coping Orientation to the Problems Experienced: COPE-NVI-25, and the Professional Quality of Life scale (ProQOl-5).Results: The exploratory analysis revealed that hospital workers showed a hig...
Background. We investigated the COVID19-related psychological impact in healthcare workers three weeks after its onset in Italy and in Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland. All professional groups of public hospitals in Italy and Switzerland were asked to complete a 38 questions online survey investigating demographic, marital and working status, presence of stress symptoms and need for psychological support. Results. Within 38 hours a total of 3,038 responses were collected. The subgroup analysis identified specific categories at risk according to age, type of work and region of origin. Critical care workers, in particular females, reported an increased number of working hours, decline in confidence in the future, presence of stress symptoms and need for psychological support. People reporting stress symptoms and those with children declared a higher need for psychological support. Conclusions. The large number of participants in such a short time advocates for a high interest o...
Health Psychology Research
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the mental health of healthcare workers, who have taken on the major problems triggered by the emergency. The mental consequences concern high levels of insomnia, anxiety, depression and burnout, which inevitably affect their professional quality of life too. Objective The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between psychopathological symptoms (tested with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, DASS-21) and professional quality of life (measured with the Professional Quality of Life Scale, ProQol) in a hospital of southern Italy. Methods 204 healthcare workers were recruited by non-probabilistic sampling and divided by age, gender, work roles (physicians, nurses and intermediate care technicians) and clinical departments (Cardio-medicine, Infectious Diseases, Emergency Medicine, First Aid, Obstetrics and Pneumology). Results The results showed higher levels of Secondary Traumatic Stress, Depression, Anxiety and ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Emergency situations have been associated with negative psychological adjustment outcomes in healthcare professionals, although studies on the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic amongst Italian health workers are limited. The main aim of this study was to investigate the psychological adjustment of healthcare professionals during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluating differences according to working or not with patients affected by COVID-19 and in areas with a more severe spread of this pandemic. Healthcare professionals’ attitudes toward psychological support were analyzed. The levels of anxiety, depression, psychological stress, and professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction, burnout, and compassion fatigue) and attitudes toward psychological support were measured among 627 Italian healthcare workers (mean age = 40.55 years; SD = 11.49; range: 27–72). Significantly higher levels of stress, burnout, secondary trauma, anxiety, and depressio...
Journal of Clinical Medicine
This study aims to investigate whether HCWs infected with COVID-19 may experience potential psychological consequences and a higher incidence of depression, anxiety, work-related stress, and burnout compared to non-infected HCWs. A case–control study with 774 participants was conducted comparing COVID-19-infected HCWs (cases) and non-infected HCWs (controls) from the Occupational Medicine Unit at the Teaching Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, who were administered the same questionnaire including Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and Karasek’s Job Content Questionnaire. No differences in the levels of burnout and decision latitude were found between the two groups. Cases showed higher level of anxiety and job demand compared to controls. In contrast, levels of depression in the case group were significantly lower compared to the control group. The results are indicating the need for workplace health promotion activities based on stress and burnout man...