Prevalence of Psychopathological Symptoms and Their Determinants in Four Healthcare Workers’ Categories during the Second Year of COVID-19 Pandemic

Alessandra Gorini (), Mattia Giuliani, Elena Fiabane, Alice Bonomi, Paola Gabanelli, Antonia Pierobon, Pasquale Moretta, Giovanna Pagliarulo, Simona Spaccavento, Gaetano Vaudo, Matteo Pirro, Massimo R. Mannarino, Laura Milani, Maria Paola Caruso, Paola Baiardi, Laura Adelaide Dalla Vecchia, Maria Teresa La Rovere, Caterina Pistarini and Damiano Baldassarre
Additional contact information
Alessandra Gorini: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
Mattia Giuliani: Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, 20138 Milan, Italy
Elena Fiabane: Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, 16167 Genoa, Italy
Alice Bonomi: Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, 20138 Milan, Italy
Paola Gabanelli: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Psychology Unit of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Antonia Pierobon: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Psychology Unit of Montescano Institute, 27040 Montescano, Italy
Pasquale Moretta: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Neurological Rehabilitation Unit of Teleselezioni Terme Institute, 82037 Telese Terme, Italy
Giovanna Pagliarulo: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Neurological Rehabilitation Unit of Teleselezioni Terme Institute, 82037 Telese Terme, Italy
Simona Spaccavento: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Psychology Unit of Bari Institute, 70124 Bari, Italy
Gaetano Vaudo: Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
Matteo Pirro: Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy
Massimo R. Mannarino: Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, 06132 Perugia, Italy
Laura Milani: ASST Crema, 26013 Crema, Italy
Maria Paola Caruso: SITRA, Policlinico San Donato, 20097 Milan, Italy
Paola Baiardi: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Direzione Scientifica Centrale of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Laura Adelaide Dalla Vecchia: Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
Maria Teresa La Rovere: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Department of Cardiology of Montescano Institute, 27040 Montescano, Italy
Caterina Pistarini: Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Department of Neurorehabilitation of Pavia Institute, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Damiano Baldassarre: Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, 20138 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-11

Abstract: Highly stressful situations, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, induce constant changes in the mental state of people who experience them. In the present study, we analyzed the prevalence of some psychological symptoms and their determinants in four different categories of healthcare workers during the second year of the pandemic. A total of 265 physicians, 176 nurses, 184 other healthcare professionals, and 48 administrative employees, working in different Italian healthcare contexts, answered a questionnaire including variables about their mental status and experience with the pandemic. The mean scores for anxiety and depressive symptoms measured more than one year after the onset of the pandemic did not reach the pathological threshold. In contrast, post-traumatic and burnout symptoms tended toward the critical threshold, especially in physicians. The main determinant of psychological distress was perceived stress, followed by job satisfaction, the impact of COVID-19 on daily work, and a lack of recreational activities. These results increase the knowledge of which determinants of mental distress would be important to act on when particularly stressful conditions exist in the workplace that persist over time. If well-implemented, specific interventions focused on these determinants could lead to an improvement in employee well-being and in the quality of care provided.

Keywords: impact of COVID-19; healthcare workers; psychopathological symptoms; post-traumatic stress disorder; burnout (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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