Effects of COVID-19-related psychological distress and anxiety on quality of sleep and life in healthcare workers in Iran and three European countries

Abstract

Introduction:The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably affected human beings most of whom are healthcare workers (HCWs) combating the disease in the front line.MethodsThis cross-sectional study aims to explore the effects of stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19 on the quality of sleep and life in HCWs, including physicians, nurses, and other healthcare staff. In this global study, we asked 1,210 HCWs (620 and 590 volunteers from Iran and European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, respectively), who age 21–70, to participate in the test. Several measures of COVID-related stress, anxiety, sleep, and life quality, including the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) are recorded.ResultsVolunteers reported high rates of stress and anxiety and poor sleep quality as well as lower quality of life. The correlation analysis between the measures is reported. According to the results, regardless of the location, HCWs, predominantly female nurses, developed anxiety and stress symptoms which consequently resulted in lower sleep and life quality. Both for Iranian and the European HCWs, significant differences existed between nurses and the other two groups, with the p-values equal to 0.0357 and 0.0429 for GHQ-12, 0.0368, and 0.714 for BAI measure. Even though nurses reported the most stress, anxiety, fear of COVID-19, lower quality of life and sleep in both countries, and also an increase in other measures as well, there existed no statistically significant difference in FCV-19S, PSQI, and WHOQOL-BREF.DiscussionThis study helps to expand our knowledge the effects of pandemics on HCWs and also for healthcare management to predict HCW's mental health conditions in similar situations.

Sleep disorder experienced by healthcare nurses after terminating Zero-COVID-19 policy

“…Previous studies showed that regardless of their place of work, healthcare workers, mainly female nurses, experienced symptoms of anxiety and stress, which resulted in decreased sleep and quality of life [ 18 ]. Consistent with a previous study, we found that the front-line nurses were associated with severe sleep difficulty as they have a high risk of infection due to their heavy workload and long working hours [ 19 ].…”

Unveiling Coronasomnia: Pandemic Stress and Sleep Problems During the COVID-19 Outbreak

“…Nurses from developing countries such as Iran and Ethiopia reported a poorer sleep quality in comparison to those from European countries. 80,81 One possible explanation for the higher occurrence of insomnia among healthcare professionals, especially those in regions with scarcer medical resources, is the increased fear of COVID-19 infection resulting from direct contact with the atypical coronavirus. Studies conducted on US physicians and Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak similarly showed an association between direct exposure to infected patients and insomnia.…”

“…Specifically, nurses from Iran reported higher levels of psychological distress, greater fear of viral contraction, and consequently poorer sleep quality due to the lack of access to proper vaccines. 80 Another study conducted during the pandemic with Turkish healthcare workers revealed that general coronavirus anxiety, fear of COVID-19 infection, and perceived burnout collectively predicted the severity of insomnia symptoms. 78 In summary, these findings on infection anxiety across nations suggest that direct exposure to COVID-19 tends to significantly contribute to an elevated fear of COVID-19 infection, which in turn leads to an increased prevalence of insomnia among healthcare professionals during the pandemic.…”

Quality of Life and Wellbeing Parameters of Academic Dental and Nursing Personnel vs. Quality of Services

“…In a study of 1210 HCPs from Iran, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, no matter the setting, HCPs, and mainly female nurses, experienced stress and anxiety. This led to poorer sleep and decreased QOL [21]. In a cross-sectional study involving 218 HCPs, Abdelghani et al [22] discovered that all QOL dimensions were negatively connected with health anxiety due to the COVID-19 virus.…”