scholarly journals Psychological Symptoms in Health Professionals in Spain After the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Dosil ◽  
Naiara Ozamiz-Etxebarria ◽  
Iratxe Redondo ◽  
Maitane Picaza ◽  
Joana Jaureguizar

Following the declaration of the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic in March 2020, a state of alarm was decreed in Spain. In this situation, healthcare workers experienced high levels of stress, anxiety and depression due to the heavy workload and working conditions. Although Spain experienced a progressive decline in the number of COVID-19 cases until the last week of May (when a flattening of the case curve was achieved) and the work overload among health workers was substantially reduced, several studies have shown that this work overload is associated with the later emergence of psychological symptoms induced by stress. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of stress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and compassionate fatigue in health professionals. The sample consisted of 973 health professionals 16.5% men, 82.9% women, and one non-binary person. The data were collected through an online questionnaire sent to the participants by e-mail. DASS-21 was used to measure anxiety, stress and depression, PCL-C to measure post-traumatic stress and ProQOL -vIV to measure compassion fatigue. In addition, other descriptive variables that could be related to these levels of psychological symptomatology were evaluated. The results reveal that after the work overload experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers report psychological symptoms, post-traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. It is therefore recommended that these professionals be provided with psychological help in order to reduce the emotional impact of COVID-19, and consequently improve their mental health.

Salud Mental ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 303-310
Author(s):  
Janet Real-Ramírez ◽  
Luis Alberto García-Bello ◽  
Rebeca Robles-García ◽  
Montserrat Martínez ◽  
Karime Adame-Rivas ◽  
...  

Introduction. In Mexico, a National Mental Health Strategy was implemented to identify and attend the mental health repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. It included the creation of five virtual clinics for health workers, being the Burnout, Post-traumatic Stress and Compassion Fatigue clinic one of them. Objective. To describe the basal sociodemographic and psychological characteristics of health workers attending online mindfulness sessions as part of the treatment of the aforementioned clinic. Method. This is a cross-sectional report part of a major nationwide and longitudinal project. All attendants responded to digital sociodemographics and COVID-19 questionnaires, the Extended Physician Well-Being Index (EPWBI), and the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) TOP-8 index. Results. Of the 507 health workers that participated, 70.02% of them were at risk of burnout according to the Extended Well-Being Index and 57.31, 7.91 and 2.77% had a mild, moderate, and severe risk of PTSD, respectively. The most affected were the female health workers, from metropolitan or central areas of the country, and those diagnosed with COVID-19 or exposed to a person with the diagnosis. Discussion and conclusion. Mexican health workers attending mindfulness sessions presented high frequencies of PTSD symptoms and burnout. Female workers at urban hospitals could be at a special risk for developing PTSD or Well-ness alterations, and thus, they must be cared for closely, particularly those having direct contact with COVID 19 positive persons. The early participation in mental health strategies might lessen the immediate and long-term pandemic effects.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 635
Author(s):  
Isabella Giulia Franzoi ◽  
Antonella Granieri ◽  
Maria Domenica Sauta ◽  
Monica Agnesone ◽  
Marco Gonella ◽  
...  

The psychological impact of the pandemic on healthcare workers has been assessed worldwide, but there are limited data on how mental health professionals (MHPs) have been affected. Thus, this paper aims to investigate anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and burnout in a sample of MHPs. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study on 167 participants: 56 MHPs, 57 physicians working closely with COVID-19 patients, and 54 physicians not working closely with such patients. MHPs reported good overall mental health. Most MHPs reported no post-traumatic stress, and their scores were significantly lower compared to HPs working closely with COVID-19 patients. MHPs’ hyperarousal scores were also significantly lower compared to HPs working closely with COVID-19 patients, while their intrusion scores were statistically significantly lower than those of all other professionals. Multivariable logistic regressions showed that MHPs had lower odds of exhibiting state anxiety and low personal accomplishment compared to HPs not working closely with COVID-19 patients. In sum, MHPs seem to show almost preserved mental health. Thus, given the high mental healthcare demand during a pandemic, it would be useful to rely on these professionals, especially for structuring interventions to improve and support the mental health of the general population and other healthcare workers.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Adán Miguel‐Puga ◽  
Davis Cooper‐Bribiesca ◽  
Francisco José Avelar‐Garnica ◽  
Luis Alejandro Sanchez‐Hurtado ◽  
Tania Colin‐Martínez ◽  
...  

Relations ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritti Soncco

This paper builds on biomedical and anthropological discourses of microbial agency to explore the important opportunities this discourse offers medicine, politics, anthropology, and patients. “Borrelia burgdorferi”, often termed “the Great Imitator”, is an ideal candidate for this discussion as it reveals how difficult it is to speak about Lyme disease without engaging with microbial agency. Based on 12-months research with Lyme disease patients and clinicians in Scotland, this paper offers a social rendering of the bacteria that reveals epistemologies of illness not available in medical accounts: the impact of social and psychological symptoms such as body dysmorphia, depression, shame, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide-related deaths on patients’ illness narratives. Divorcing agency from the bacteria silences these important patient narratives with the consequence of a limited medical and social understanding of the signification of Lyme disease and the holistic methods needed for treatment. This paper furthermore argues that the inclusion of patient worldings of Borrelia acting in the medical renderings offers a democratic determination of what the illness is. Finally, building on Giraldo Herrera and Cadena, I argue for a decolonization of Borrelia, exploring how the pluriverse both takes the epistemologies of patients seriously and reveals medical equivocation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 140-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Hutchinson ◽  
Martin Isaacs ◽  
Lucy Chamberlain ◽  
Karen Harrison Dening

Background: The veteran community are at increased risk of poor mental health and developing dementia as a result of their miliary service, with the potential to lead to delayed onset post-traumatic stress disorder (DOPTSD). The manifestation of DOPTSD may be misinterpreted as behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which create difficulties in caring for the person experiencing these distressing symptoms. Aims: This paper details the development of a screening tool for people with dementia, which aims to reframe and contextualise some of the behaviours under the lens of historic traumatic events. Methods: The utility of the screening tool is demonstrated through the presentation and an analysis of an anonymised case study to support nurse practice development. Conclusions: A trauma history tool offers a more comprehensive and interpretive view of the possible historic, trauma-related causes of current behaviours and can aid informal carers' understanding of the stress and distress reactions of their family members.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432110641
Author(s):  
Kaipeng Wang ◽  
Anao Zhang ◽  
Adolfo G. Cuevas ◽  
Carson M. De Fries ◽  
Ladson Hinton ◽  
...  

Objectives To examine the association between post-traumatic stress and depression and whether such an association differs by level of loneliness among older Puerto Ricans. Methods Data were collected from 304 Puerto Ricans aged 60 and above living in the Greater Boston area who responded to questionnaires. We used ordinary least squares regression to examine the association between post-traumatic stress, loneliness, and depressive symptoms. Results Post-traumatic stress was significantly associated with higher levels of depression. The association between post-traumatic stress and depression was stronger for those experiencing a higher degree of loneliness. Discussion In working with older Puerto Ricans experiencing post-traumatic stress, it is important for mental health professionals to incorporate the assessment of loneliness and to prevent and reduce comorbid depression by addressing loneliness through improving social skills, enhancing social support, and reducing maladaptive social cognition.


Criminologie ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frema Engel

Victims of crime suffer tremendous psychological damage as a result of the trauma that they experience. The effects can be totally debilitating and can destroy their lives. The author discusses the reactions, symptoms of acute stress and stages of recovery of crime victims. She also discusses post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), and the kind of help victims need to recover from their injuries. Finally, she suggests how mental health professionals in particular and society in general could better respond to crime victims.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Barbara M Murphy ◽  
Rosemary O Higgins ◽  
Alun C Jackson

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on the healthcare workforce across the world and, with many health professionals experiencing high levels of exposure to the coronavirus, the rate of infection among healthcare workers is high. Documented mental health effects on these workers are also concerning, with higher-than-usual levels of acute stress, post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, depression and sleep disorders, particularly insomnia. Cardiac patients are particularly vulnerable, and health professionals caring for this group face additional stresses. This article provides an overview of the mental health impacts of the pandemic on healthcare workers, with an emphasis on those working in hospital settings and in cardiac care, as well as on the patients for whom they care. The specific impacts of COVID-19 are also discussed, as well as associated social restrictions on cardiac patients, both during hospitalisation and early recovery, and in terms of long-term risks. Strategies are proposed that healthcare workers can adopt to help preserve and improve their coping and enhance their resilience as they work through this unprecedented and unpredictable pandemic.


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