Trauma and stressor-related disorders among health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic and the role of the gender: A prospective longitudinal survey.

Abstract

Introduction Health-care Workers (HCW) are facing a critical situation caused by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) which could impact on their mental health status. In addition, HCW women have been identified as a group at high-risk of developing psychological distress, although no previous longitudinal studies have explored this issue in a sample of HCW. Aims The main aim of the study was to observe the temporal pattern of the stress reactions among HCW as well as to explore its potential predictors of poor outcome. Moreover, we analyzed possible gender differences in stress reaction responses. Methods One thousand for hundred and thirty-two HCW responded an online survey including sociodemographic, clinical, and psychometric tests in May 2020 while 251 HCW answered in November 2020. Bivariate and multivariate analyses as well as repeated measures analyses were used to achieve the aims of the study. Results The proportion of HCW who fulfilled Acute Stress Disorder criteria did not change over the follow-up period, although we observed a significant improvement in stress reactions responses among HCW. Proximal factors were the most salient predictors of traumatic reactions. Repeated analyses revealed significant gender differences in acute stress reactions. In addition, women showed significantly greater improvement than men in re-experiencing the traumatic event and hyperarousal dimensions. Conclusions Monitoring of working conditions as well as emotional reactions in HCW facing major disasters should be carried out to prevent the development of peritraumatic stress reactions. In addition, HCW women are characterized by a different pattern of progression in stress responses.

The prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders related symptoms and the association with working place among healthcare workers who were in the fighting against COVID-19 in regional China

“…Moreover, based on psychological insights, a negative event, such as COVID-19 epidemic, may affect people's emotion more strongly at the onset stage than some time later, as the extinction of fear-related emotion will actively occur with time going on ( 23 , 24 ). This was also supported by findings from two population-based longitudinal studies during COVID-19 epidemic period ( 25 , 26 ). One of them was conducted among general population with the first survey in early 2020 in China, documenting that community residents tended to report slightly but significantly lower scores for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms 4 weeks later after the baseline survey ( 25 ).…”

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