Factors Associated with Insomnia and Aggression among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

(1) Healthcare workers are exposed to increased risks of insomnia and aggression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to assess insomnia, sleep disturbances, and aggression and identify the associated risk factors among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) A total of 264 healthcare workers participated in the study. The study was conducted with the diagnostic survey method, using the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a self-administered questionnaire. (3) The vast majority of the respondents (81.06%) suffered from insomnia and had poor sleep quality (78.03%). Education (p = 0.038), marital status (p = 0.043), and working with patients suffering from COVID-19 (p = 0.024) were statistically significant contributors to insomnia. Age was found to significantly correlate with total aggression (r = −0.133 p = 0.031), verbal aggression (r = −0.138 p = 0.025), and anger (r = −0.151 p = 0.014). The analysis demonstrated statistically significant relationships between gender and physical aggression (p = 0.017), anger (p = 0.032), and hostility (p = 0.002). A statistically significant positive correlation between the quality of sleep as per the PSQI and all subscales of the BPAQ was found (p < 0.001). (4) A considerable proportion of HCWs experienced sleep disturbances during the outbreak, stressing the need to establish ways to reduce long-term adverse outcomes associated with chronic insomnia and mental health problems and adjust interventions under pandemic conditions.

Sleep Quality Aspects in Post-COVID-19 Patients

“…Older age was correlated with higher levels of verbal aggression and anger among healthworkers. From a statistical point of view, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were positively correlated [12].…”

Anger and Aggression in Relation to Psychological Resilience and Alcohol Abuse among Health Professionals during the First Pandemic Wave

“…From a different perspective, another way of reducing aggression in healthcare professionals, working during the COVID-19 pandemic, is the enhancement of their level of resilience to counteract aggression [74,75]. In order to reinforce psychological resilience improving sleep quality and following the directives of positive psychology are a few among other health promotion interventions [76][77][78]. Furthermore, previous and recent studies during the pandemic evidence that higher levels of psychological resilience buffer against stress and negative emotions and have been associated with lower alcohol consumption and lower hazardous drinking patterns [79][80][81][82][83][84][85].…”

Lessons learned from behaviors of the employees in Iranian banks during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis: A phenomenological study

“…Some studies have indicated that employees were under pressure during the Covid-19 period due to the fear of company bankruptcy, changing the boundaries of the house, and performing additional duties (during the sick leave of their colleagues). Such situations caused fear, de pression, anxiety, aggression, and laziness [ [41] , [42] , [43] , [44] ].…”