Long-term psychological effects of COVID-19 pandemic in hospital workers in a North Italian Hospital
https://doi.org/10.4081/wpph.2023.9610
Accepted: 23 December 2022
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Objectives. The aim of this study is to explore the long-term psychological impact of COVID-19 on health workers and other professional workers in the “SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo” Hospital located in Alessandria. Materials and Methods. A monocentric prospective observational study was conducted on 112 hospital workers by completing an on-line survey. Data were collected from 1st to 30th April 2021. 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 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: New Italian Version (COPE-NVI-25), and Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOl-5). Results. Data analysis reveals that hospital workers show moderate percentages of post-traumatic stress (40,2%), depression (40,2%), anxiety (28,6%), stress (44.6%) and insomnia (16.1%) symptoms. Administrative staff shows higher anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Most common strategies used by responders are positive attitude, problem solving and social support. A subgroup of healthcare workers providing direct care to patients shows moderate levels of compassion-satisfaction and low levels of secondary traumatic stress and burn-out. Conclusions. Healthcare workers and other professionals working in hospital show psychological effect that last more than one year after the beginning of the pandemic.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Valentina Manfredi, Rossella Sterpone, Antonella Cassinari, Marta Betti, Monica Franscini, Marinella Bertolotti, Simona Giribone, Antonio Pepoli, Patrizia Valorio, Carolina Pelazza, Antonio Maconi
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