Healthcare Workers after Two Years of COVID-19: The Consequences of the Pandemic on Psychological Health and Sleep among Nurses and Physicians

Valentina Alfonsi (), Serena Scarpelli, Maurizio Gorgoni, Alessandro Couyoumdjian, Francesco Rosiello, Cinzia Sandroni, Roberto Corsi, Filomena Pietrantonio and Luigi De Gennaro
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Valentina Alfonsi: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Serena Scarpelli: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Maurizio Gorgoni: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Alessandro Couyoumdjian: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Francesco Rosiello: Internal Medicine Department, Ospedale dei Castelli, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma 6, Ariccia, 00040 Rome, Italy
Cinzia Sandroni: UOC Professione Infermieristica, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma 6, Albano, 00041 Rome, Italy
Roberto Corsi: Direzione Sanitaria Aziendale, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma 6, Albano, 00041 Rome, Italy
Filomena Pietrantonio: Internal Medicine Department, Ospedale dei Castelli, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma 6, Ariccia, 00040 Rome, Italy
Luigi De Gennaro: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: COVID-19 has challenged the health workforce worldwide. In this cross-sectional study with a retrospective assessment, we explored the impact of the pandemic on mental health and sleep among a sample of Italian nurses and medical doctors. A total of 287 healthcare workers (212 nurses and 75 physicians) completed a web survey on socio-demographic, psychological, and sleep-related aspects referring to the period before the pandemic and to the present period of February to June 2022. Comparisons between nurses and physicians revealed that the former had greater distress in response to the pandemic. Consistently, the multivariate analysis of covariance showed that even if both groups were negatively impacted by the pandemic, nurses presented a greater worsening over time regarding several psychological and sleep symptoms. Furthermore, we observed that working on the frontline represented an additional risk factor for nurses. In line with previous evidence, we also found that personal experiences with COVID-19 are significant predictors of the current health status. Our results underscore the urgent need for preventive programs among healthcare operators to increase their coping skills and prevent the long-term consequences of chronic stress, especially for high-risk professionals. Specific attention should also be devoted to programs to improve sleep quality and reduce sleep-related traumatic symptoms.

Keywords: COVID-19 outbreak; nurses; physicians; healthcare workers; traumatic event; sleep quality; stress; depression; anxiety (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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