“Hang in There!”: Mental Health in a Sample of the Italian Civil Protection Volunteers during the COVID-19 Health Emergency

Rita Roncone, Laura Giusti, Silvia Mammarella, Anna Salza, Valeria Bianchini, Annalina Lombardi, Massimo Prosperococco, Elio Ursini, Valentina Scaletta and Massimo Casacchia
Additional contact information
Rita Roncone: Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Spennati 1, Edificio Delta 6, Studio 110-Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Laura Giusti: Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Spennati 1, Edificio Delta 6, Studio 110-Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Silvia Mammarella: Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Spennati 1, Edificio Delta 6, Studio 110-Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Anna Salza: Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Spennati 1, Edificio Delta 6, Studio 110-Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Valeria Bianchini: Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Spennati 1, Edificio Delta 6, Studio 110-Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Annalina Lombardi: LARES Italia—Unione Nazionale Laureati Esperti in Protezione Civile, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Massimo Prosperococco: LARES Italia—Unione Nazionale Laureati Esperti in Protezione Civile, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Elio Ursini: LARES Italia—Unione Nazionale Laureati Esperti in Protezione Civile, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Valentina Scaletta: LARES Italia—Unione Nazionale Laureati Esperti in Protezione Civile, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Massimo Casacchia: Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Spennati 1, Edificio Delta 6, Studio 110-Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-19

Abstract: Few studies have been conducted on civil volunteers and their emotional conditions concerning the current COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on the mental health (general well-being, depression level, and post-traumatic distress), coping strategies, and training needs in an Italian sample of 331 Civil Protection volunteers of the L’Aquila province, during the first nationwide “lockdown” (8 March–3 June 2020). The rate of respondents to the online survey was limited (11.5%), presumably because displaying distress would be considered a sign of “weakness”, making volunteers unable to do their jobs. More than 90% of the volunteers showed good mental health conditions and a wide utilization of positive coping strategies, with the less experienced displaying better emotional conditions compared to colleagues with 10 or more years of experience. The type of emergency, the relatively few cases of contagion and mortality in the territory compared to the rest of Italy, and the sense of helping the community, together with the awareness of their group identity, could have contributed to the reported well-being. These results may help to identify the needs of volunteers related to this new “urban” emergency to improve both their technical and emotional skills.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemic (COVID-19); Civil Protection; voluntary service; survey; psychological and psychopathological assessment; coping strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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