The Mental Health Impact of 2019-nCOVID on Healthcare Workers From North-Eastern Piedmont, Italy. Focus on Burnout

Abstract

The 2019-nCOVID pandemic as a public health emergency has faced healthcare systems with unprecedented challenges. Our study aimed to focus on the mental health impact of the 2019-nCOVID pandemic on healthcare workers (HCWs) from North-Eastern Piedmont, Italy. For this purpose, we performed an online survey which was e-mailed to HCWs at the end of the first peak of the pandemic. We involved both frontline and not-frontline HCWs, employed in the hospital or in healthcare services outside the hospital. The primary outcome of our research was the assessment of burnout, while secondary outcomes included the investigation of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. We observed higher levels of burnout (especially in the Depersonalization and Personal Accomplishment dimensions), in females, in HCWs aged <30 years, in those exposed to changes in their daily and family habits, in those who had to change their duties at work and in residents in training. In our HCWs sample we found lower levels of anxiety and depression than those reported in the literature. The problematic levels of burnout and adverse psychological outcomes observed during the pandemic cannot be underestimated. Given the recurrence in autumn 2020 of a new pandemic peak, which has once again put a strain on the health system and HCWs, it is supported the importance of a careful assessment of HCWs' mental health, and of the possible risk and protective factors both in the work environment and in the extra-work one.

The Mediating Role of Gender, Age, COVID-19 Symptoms and Changing of Mansion on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers Operating in Italy during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The current research expands the findings of a previously published one, with the aim to deepen the understanding of the mental health effects of the 2019-nCOVID pandemic on HCWs from North-eastern Piedmont, Italy. In the first work (Gramaglia et al, 2021), we evaluated singularly burnout, anxiety, depression, distress, observing higher degrees of burnout (in particular D and PA) in females, in HCWs aged <30 years, in the ones exposed to changes of their working habits and own family behaviour, and in trainees. Moreover, lower ranges of anxiety and depression than those reported in the literature were found.…”

“…The survey was implemented with the REDCap platform and e-mailed at the end of the first wave of the COVID pandemic emergency crisis period (in June 2020) on behalf of the human resources offices in charge of the healthcare institutions detailed below, who have access to the mailing lists including the institutional e-mail contacts of all HCWs employees. The procedure for the implementation and diffusion of the survey have been already described in detail elsewhere (Gramaglia et al, 2021).…”

“…The first part of the online survey included general information, questions about the professional role and possible changes in job tasks and duties during the peak of the pandemic. Standardized and validated self-administered measures were used for the assessment of burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory -Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel-MBI-HSS MP), overall health perception (General Health Questionnaire-12 Items-GHQ-12), distress perceived because of stressing life events (Impact of Event Scale-IES), depression (Beck Depression Inventory-BDI-II) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory-BAI) (for more details see Gramaglia et al, 2021) In our sample of HCWs, four main subgroups could be identified: medical doctors/physicians, residents in training (meaning graduated medical doctors attending specialization schools), nurses and "others" (this group included participants who did not fit any of the previous categories, such as psychologists, social workers, radiology and laboratory technicians, educators).…”

“…In a previous study using an online survey (Gramaglia et al, 2021), we evaluated the mental health effects of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCWs in North-Eastern Piedmont, a highrisk region in Italy. Previous studies concentrated on aspects of mental health, primarily in HCWs who were specifically exposed to COVID-19, while our study analyzed HCWs from various settings (hospital and community healthcare facilities, emergency, and non-emergency services), including also HCWs not directly involved in the treatment of patients affected by the 2019-nCOVID disease.…”

The Mediating Role of Gender, Age, COVID-19 Symptoms and Changing of Mansion on the Mental Health of Healthcare Workers Operating in Italy during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In a previous study using an online survey 27 , we evaluated the mental health effects of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCWs in North-Eastern Piedmont, a high-risk region in Italy. Previous studies concentrated on aspects of mental health, primarily in HCWs who were specifically exposed to COVID-19, while our study analyzed HCWs from various settings (hospital and community healthcare facilities, emergency, and non-emergency services), including also HCWs not directly involved in the treatment of patients affected by the 2019-nCOVID disease.…”