Psychosocial Impact and Role of Resilience on Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic

Marinella Coco, Claudia Savia Guerrera, Giuseppe Santisi, Febronia Riggio, Roberta Grasso, Donatella Di Corrado, Santo Di Nuovo and Tiziana Ramaci
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Marinella Coco: Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Claudia Savia Guerrera: Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Giuseppe Santisi: Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Febronia Riggio: Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Roberta Grasso: Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Donatella Di Corrado: Department of Human and Social Sciences, Kore University of Enna, 94100 Enna, Italy
Santo Di Nuovo: Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
Tiziana Ramaci: Department of Human and Social Sciences, Kore University of Enna, 94100 Enna, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-9

Abstract: Italy was the first European country to be affected by the 2019 coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19). Several studies have shown the risk of developing depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder in medical and paramedical staff. Causes included the high contagiousness of the virus, the fear of contracting it, the lack of adequate personal protective equipment, and physical and psychological fatigue. In this context, resilience represents a protective factor against adversity and stress burden. The aim of this research was to investigate if and how the resilience and personality profile is able to influence the response to stress and anxiety on a sample of Italian healthcare workers, during the COVID-19 outbreak. The sample consisted of 152 frontline healthcare workers, physicians, and paramedical professionals. Participants completed the online questionnaire measuring the Resilience Scale for Adults, the Big Five Inventory-10 Item, the State Anxiety Inventory, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Analyses of data aimed to show differences in the stress of healthcare workers due to gender and professional role, and at finding, by means of multidimensional scaling, the relations among anxiety, stress, resilience, and traits of personality. The findings gave some suggestions for implementing strategies useful to increase the resilience in healthcare workers and support them to cope with stressful events, typical of the pandemic emergency.

Keywords: COVID-19; healthcare workers; resilience; mental health; psychosocial impact; stress; anxiety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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