COVID-19 pandemic and health worker stress: The mediating effect of emotional regulation

Abstract

Background/Introduction Psychological and physical well-being of health personnel has been significantly affected by COVID-19. Work overload and continuous exposure to positive COVID-19 cases have caused them fatigue, stress, anxiety, insomnia and other detriments. This research aims: 1) to analyze whether the use of cognitive reevaluation and emotional suppression strategies decreases and increases, respectively, stress levels of health personnel; 2) to quantify the impact of contact with patients with COVID-19 on stress levels of medical staff. Method Emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reevaluation and emotional expression) and stress levels were evaluated in 155 Dominican physicians who were treating people infected with COVID-19 at the moment of the study (67.9% women and 32.1% men; mean age = 34.89; SD = 9.26). In addition, a questionnaire created by the researchers quantified the impact that contact with those infected had on their stress levels. Results Contact with patients with COVID-19 predicts increased use of emotion suppression strategies, although is not associated with the use of cognitive reevaluation. These findings lead to an even greater increase in stress on health care providers. Conclusions Contextual contingencies demand immediate responses and may not allow health personnel to use cognitive re-evaluation strategies, leaning more towards emotion suppression. However, findings regarding high levels of stress require the implementation of intervention programs focused on the promotion of more functional emotion regulation strategies. Such programs may reduce current stress and prevent post-traumatic symptoms.

The Role of Resilience and Emotion Regulation in Psychological Distress of Hospital Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review Study

“…In regulating emotion, an optimal interaction of cognition and emotion is required to deal with adverse conditions because people interpret every stimulus and situation they encounter, and cognitive interpretations determine people's reactions [29]. For this reason, people who use negative and weak cognitive styles, such as rumination, catastrophizing, and self-blame during the COVID-19 pandemic are more vulnerable to emotional problems than others [27]. In other words, people who could not properly manage their emotions in the face of stress caused by COVID-19 show more stress, depression, and anxiety.…”

“…In other words, people who could not properly manage their emotions in the face of stress caused by COVID-19 show more stress, depression, and anxiety. When people with high anxiety symptoms have more difficulty regulating their emotional functions, they are less able to recognize and accept their emotions and are more likely to show negative emotions in ambiguous emotional situations [26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

“…Investigations conducted during the outbreak of COVID-19 have shown that people with self-blame, rumination, and rejection experience high levels of anxiety and depression [25,26]. In contrast, therapeutic staff who used adaptive cognitiveemotional regulation, such as positive reassessment and refocused on positive planning, had better mental and physical health [27]. In a similar study, Wang et al [28] examined anxiety, depression, and cognitive emotion regulation in nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak.…”

Modelling the COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on Employees’ Health and Performance: A PLS-SEM Mediation Approach

“…COVID-19 pandemic has changed daily routines and brought great challenges in all areas of activity [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Moreover, it has implicitly contributed to an increase in fear, anxiety, emotional stress, fatigue, insomnia, sadness, and depression among people [12,19]. According to Qiu et al [20], the COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious threats to people's physical health and lives, and it has also triggered different psychological or mental problems, such as panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.…”

“…Based on the above, it can be seen that the COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on the physical and mental well-being of people, especially employees. At the same time, the effects of a pandemic, such as social isolation, financial problems, and the infection of a family member or friend, lead to an increase in general stress levels [19,21]. In this regard, among the main consequences of the stress caused by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health of employees, especially those in the health system, are the following [19]: influencing the mental health of employees by developing anxiety and depression, developing physical illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, and diminishing empathy for others.…”