Evaluation of Health Workers' Levels of Intolerance, Impact of Event, Anxiety, Depression, and Somatization in the Early Period of the COVID Epidemic

Aim: This study aimed to assess uncertainty tolerances and determine the levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and somatization in healthcare workers who fight on the frontline, at the highest risk but seek the least help during the pandemic. Methodology: The data of this cross-sectional study was collected by online delivery of a short form of Health Anxiety Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale, and Demographic Information Form to 106 medical staff consisting of medical doctors and nurses. At the start of the Coronavirus outbreak in Turkey, convenient sampling was used because of the difficulty in reaching healthcare workers. The mean scores of the scales were compared with ANOVA between the study groups. In case of significant differences, Bonferroni posthoc analysis was used to compare the subgroups. Findings: A total of 106 healthcare workers consisted of three groups: the first group; 28 workers who were temporarily not working during data collection; 46 workers working with non-COVID 19 patients in a non-pandemic hospital; 32 subjects working with COVID 19 patients in a pandemic hospital. The working conditions, institution’s type where physicians work for, and whether physicians previously received psychological support showed significant differences between the groups. Conclusions: According to our study results, healthcare workers working with COVID 19 patients reported higher levels of psychological symptoms. This study is crucial to reveal the significant effects of working with COVID 19 patients on healthcare workers’ mental health, especially in the early period of the 2020 epidemic.

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Decisional Trust and Regret Mediate the HRQL in Work-Related Hand Injury Patients

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.1753 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (S1) ◽

pp. S479-S479

Author(s):

H.H. Liao ◽

S.L. Cheng ◽

C.C. Chang ◽

C.H. Lin ◽

F.C. Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mediation Analysis ◽

Short Form ◽

Hand Injury ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Impact Of Event Scale ◽

Event Scale ◽

Work Related ◽

The Impact ◽

Decisional Regret

BackgroundDespite mounting evidence that non-injury-related factors have an important role in recovery from injury; specific variables associated with surgery outcomes are poorly understood. This lack of knowledge complicates efforts to improve the care of work-related hand injury (WRHI) patients. However, substantial research and investigation have still not clarified these underlying relationships, which merit further attention.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) outcome for WRHI patients after the impact of event and to investigate the moderated mediation analysis associated with their decision trust and regret.MethodsA cross sectional study design was used to investigate the impact of event and the associated HRQL in 53 WRHI patients following severe and major hand injury. All consenting patients completed the Impact of Event Scale Revised, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, Decisional Trust scale, Decisional Regret scale and Short Form-36.Anticipated achievementIn the result of mediation analysis, patients affected HRQL via decisional trust and decisional regret, respectively. In addition, our data suggest that certain decisional trust and decisional regret (partial) characteristics significantly moderate this association. These findings may aid in the development of clinical interventions to enhance HRQL for WRHI patients. Overall, it is important for clinicians to consider the notion that more decisional trust or less decisional regret may sometimes, but not always, be better.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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Psychological effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown among students and workers of a Spanish university

10.31234/osf.io/2sc84 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Paula Odriozola-González ◽

Álvaro Planchuelo-Gómez ◽

María Jesús Irurtia-Muñiz ◽

Rodrigo de Luis-García

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Emotional Impact ◽

Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Impact Of Event Scale ◽

Event Scale ◽

The University ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

The Impact

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychological impact of COVID-19 in the university community during the first weeks of confinement. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was employed to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. The emotional impact of the situation was analyzed using the Impact of Event Scale. An online survey was fulfilled by 2530 members of the University of Valladolid, in Spain. Moderate to extremely severe scores of anxiety, depression, and stress were reported by 21.34%, 34.19% and 28.14% of the respondents, respectively. A total of 50.43% of respondents presented moderate to severe impact of the outbreak. Students from Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences & Law showed higher scores related to anxiety, depression, stress and impact of event with respect to students from Engineering & Architecture. University staff presented lower scores in all measures compared to students, who seem to have suffered an important psychological impact during the first weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown. In order to provide timely crisis-oriented psychological services and to take preventive measures in future pandemic situations, mental health in university students should be carefully monitored.

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Psychological symptoms of the outbreak of the COVID-19 confinement in Spain

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105320967086 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 135910532096708

Author(s):

Paula Odriozola-González ◽

Álvaro Planchuelo-Gómez ◽

María Jesús Irurtia ◽

Rodrigo de Luis-García

Keyword(s):

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Spanish Population ◽

Emotional Impact ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Impact Of Event Scale ◽

Event Scale ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

The Impact

We studied the short-term psychological effects of the COVID-19 crisis and the quarantine on 3550 adults from the Spanish population in a cross-sectional survey. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress were analyzed using the 21-item version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder were analyzed using the Impact of Event Scale. Symptomatic scores of anxiety, depression, and stress were observed in 20% to 30% of respondents. Symptomatic scores indicating psychological stress were found in 47.5% of respondents. Similar to the findings of other multiple studies, confinement has been found to have significant emotional impact in the Spanish population.

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Acute psychological effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak among healthcare workers in China: a cross-sectional study

Translational Psychiatry ◽

10.1038/s41398-020-01031-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ying Wang ◽

Simeng Ma ◽

Can Yang ◽

Zhongxiang Cai ◽

Shaohua Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Early Period ◽

Psychological Effects ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Protection Measures ◽

Event Scale ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

Abstract To study the acute psychological effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak among healthcare workers (HCWs) in China, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among HCWs during the early period of COVID-19 outbreak. The acute psychological effects including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and PTSD was estimated at 15.0%, 27.1%, and 9.8%, respectively. Having an intermediate technical title, working at the frontline, receiving insufficient training for protection, and lacking confidence in protection measures were significantly associated with increased risk for depression and anxiety. Being a nurse, having an intermediate technical title, working at the frontline, and lacking confidence in protection measures were risk factors for PTSD. Meanwhile, not worrying about infection was a protective factor for developing depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Psychological interventions should be implemented among HCWs during the COVID-19 outbreak to reduce acute psychological effects and prevent long-term psychological comorbidities. Meanwhile, HCWs should be well trained and well protected before their frontline exposure.

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Culture of Blame—An Ongoing Burden for Doctors and Patient Safety

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16234826 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (23) ◽

pp. 4826 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ognjen Brborović ◽

Hana Brborović ◽

Iskra Alexandra Nola ◽

Milan Milošević

Keyword(s):

Patient Safety ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Patient Safety Culture ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Single Item ◽

Shortage Of Doctors ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Every procedure in healthcare carries a certain degree of inherent unsafety resulting from problems in practice, which might lead to a healthcare adverse event (HAE). It is very important, and even mandatory, to report HAE. The point of HAE reporting is not to blame the person, but to learn from the HAE in order to prevent future HAEs. Study question: Our aim was to examine the prevalence and the impact of culture of blame on health workers’ health. Methods: A cross-sectional study on healthcare workers at two Croatian hospitals was conducted using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (PSC). Results: The majority of PSC dimensions in both hospitals were high. Among the dimensions, Hospital Handoffs and Transitions and Overall Perceptions of Safety had the highest values. The Nonpunitive Response to Error dimension had low values, indicating the ongoing culture of blame. The Staffing dimension had low values, indicating the ongoing shortage of doctors and nurses. Discussion: We found inconsistencies between a single-item measure and PSC dimensions. It was expected that Frequency of Events Reported (PSC dimension) relates to Number of Events Reported (single-item measure). However, in our study, the relations between these pairs of measures were different between hospitals. Our results indicate the ongoing culture of blame. Healthcare workers do not report HAE because they fear they will be punished by management or by law.

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Psychological Adjustment of Healthcare Workers in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Differences in Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Burnout, Secondary Trauma, and Compassion Satisfaction between Frontline and Non-Frontline Professionals

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17228358 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (22) ◽

pp. 8358 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carmen Trumello ◽

Sonia Monique Bramanti ◽

Giulia Ballarotto ◽

Carla Candelori ◽

Luca Cerniglia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychological Adjustment ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Secondary Trauma ◽

Health Workers ◽

Compassion Satisfaction ◽

Psychological Support ◽

Targeted Prevention ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

The Impact

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 depression were observed among professionals working with COVID-19 patients. Higher levels of stress and burnout and lower levels of compassion satisfaction were detected in professionals working in areas with higher rates of contagion. No interaction effects were found between working (or not) with patients affected by COVID-19 and working (or not) in areas with a more severe diffusion of this pandemic. Finally, in the group of professionals who worked with COVID-19 patients, the percentage of professionals who thought to ask for psychological support was twice that of the group that did not work with COVID-19 patients. The overall findings indicate that the mental health of frontline healthcare workers requires further consideration and that targeted prevention and intervention programs are necessary.

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Psychological impact of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in health workers in China

Epidemiology and Infection ◽

10.1017/s0950268820001090 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 148 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Dandan Sun ◽

Dongliang Yang ◽

Yafen Li ◽

Jie Zhou ◽

Wenqing Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Workers ◽

Psychological Status ◽

Psychological State ◽

Average Score ◽

Median Score ◽

Impact Of Event Scale ◽

Event Scale ◽

High Arousal ◽

First Case ◽

The Impact

Abstract The first case of 2019-nCoV pneumonia infection occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, South China Seafood Market in December 2019. As a group with a high probability of infection, health workers are faced with a certain degree of psychological challenges in the process of facing the epidemic. This study attempts to evaluate the impact of 2019-nCoV outbreak on the psychological state of Chinese health workers and to explore the influencing factors. During the period from 31 January 2020 to 4 February 2020, the ‘Questionnaire Star’ electronic questionnaire system was used to collect data. The 2019-nCoV impact questionnaire and The Impact of Event Scale (IES) were used to check the psychological status of health workers in China. A total of 442 valid data were collected in this study. Seventy-four (16.7%) male and 368 (83.3%) female individuals participated in this study. The average score of high arousal dimension was 5.15 (s.d. = 4.71), and the median score was 4.0 (IQR 2.0, 7.0). The average score of IES was 15.26 (s.d. = 11.23), and the median score was 13.5 (IQR 7.0, 21.0). Multiple regression analysis showed that there were critical statistical differences in high arousal scores among different gender groups (male 3.0 vs. female 5.0, P = 0.075). Whether being quarantined had significant statistical differences of IES scores (being quarantined 16.0 vs. not being quarantined 13.0, P = 0.021). The overall impact of the 2019-nCoV outbreak on health workers is at a mild level. Chinese health workers have good psychological coping ability in the face of public health emergencies.

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A cross-sectional survey of psychological distress in a Mexican sample during the second phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

10.31219/osf.io/wzqkh ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Aldebarán Toledo-Fernández ◽

Diana Betancourt-Ocampo ◽

Héctor Romo-Parra ◽

Ernesto Reyes-Zamorano ◽

Alejandro González-González

Keyword(s):

Psychological Distress ◽

Online Survey ◽

Second Phase ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Baseline Measure ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Impact Of Event Scale ◽

Event Scale ◽

Related Stress ◽

The Impact

The objectives of this study were to describe severity of psychological distress (event-related stress, anxiety, and depression) during the second stage of COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, and to explore associations between the indicators of psychological distress, sociodemographic characteristics and specific concerns about COVID-19. This report serves as a baseline measure of a longitudinal project to evaluate progression of psychological distress across stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. An online survey was conducted in the State of Mexico from April 8th -18th, 2020, in a sample of men and women who are beneficiaries of a welfare institution in the region. Variables were measured with the Impact of Event Scale-6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disoder-7, and a questionnaire of concerns about COVID-19. A total of 5974 participants were analyzed. Moderate levels of psychological distress (with 23.6% of participants meeting significant event-related stress, but mild levels of depression and anxiety) were found, as well as high values in all concerns about COVID-19, especially regarding financial disruption, worsening of local security and concern of a family member becoming infected. These concerns associated mild-to-moderately with the indicators of psychological distress. Higher values of event-related distress were found in women, individuals with higher educational attainment and those with any current high-risk medical diagnosis, though the effect sizes were mild. Though psychological distress and concerns about COVID-19 have reached significant levels during the pandemic in Mexico, overall, they have not yet reached dysfunctional levels.

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Mask-associated de novo headache in healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

10.1101/2020.08.07.20167957 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jose M Ramirez-Moreno ◽

David Ceberino ◽

Alberto Gonzalez ◽

Belen Rebollo ◽

Pablo Macias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Social Impact ◽

De Novo ◽

Health Workers ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

Introduction: The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to changes in the development of health care activities by health professionals. We analysed whether there is an association between the appearance of de novo headache according to the type of mask used, the related factors, as well as the impact of the headache on health professionals. Method: cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital in Extremadura, Spain. We administered an online questionnaire to healthcare workers during the period of maximum incidence of COVID-19 in our setting. Results: n=306, 244 women (79.7%), with an average age of 43 years (range 23-65). Of the total, 129 (42.2%) were physicians, 112 (36.6%) nurses and 65 (21.2%) other health workers. 208 (79.7%) used surgical masks and 53 (20.3%) used filtering masks. Of all those surveyed, 158 (51.6%) presented de novo headache. The occurrence of headache was independently associated with the use of a filtering mask, OR 2.14 (IC95% 1.07-4.32), being a nurse OR 2.09 (IC95% 1.18-3.72) or another health worker OR 6.94 (IC95% 3.01-16.04) or having a history of asthma OR 0.29 (IC95% 0.09-0.89). Depending on the type of mask used there were differences in headache intensity. And the impact of headache in the subjects who used a filtering mask was worse in the all aspects evaluated. Conclusions: The appearance of de novo headache is associated with the use of filtering masks and is more frequent in certain health care workers, causing a greater occupational, family, personal and social impact.

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Is Acknowledgment of Trauma a Protective Factor?

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040.14.3.249 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 249-254 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Andreas Maercker ◽

Marija Povilonyte ◽

Raichat Lianova ◽

Karin Pöhlmann

Keyword(s):

Protective Factor ◽

Traumatic Events ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Impact Of Event Scale ◽

Event Scale ◽

Potentially Traumatic Events ◽

Causal Direction ◽

The Impact

We assessed victims’ status and its relation to self-perceived “social acknowledgment as a victim or survivor” ( Maercker & Müller, 2004 ) in a sample of Chechen refugees living in camps in Ingushetia. A total of 61 Chechen refugees were surveyed using a war-related trauma checklist, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, and the Disclosure of Trauma Questionnaire. Rates of potentially traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appeared to be very high in this sample: 100% reported one or more potentially traumatic events and over 75% were estimated to have PTSD. As expected, social acknowledgment as a victim or survivor was negatively related to PTSD symptoms. We discuss the possible causal direction of this finding. Our cross-sectional study provides further evidence that social acknowledgment should be regarded as a protective or resource factor in the aftermath of trauma.

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