PTSD and Depression in Healthcare Workers in the Italian Epicenter of the COVID-19 Outbreak.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence highlights the susceptibility of Healthcare Workers to develop psychopathological sequelae, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression, in the current COronaVIrus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, but little data have been reported in the acute phase of the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: To explore Healthcare Workers' mental health reactions in the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first European epicenter (Lodi/Codogno, Italy), with particular attention to post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms and their interplay with other psychological outcomes. METHODS: 74 Healthcare Workers employed at the Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale of Lodi (Lombardy, Italy) were recruited and assessed by means of the Impact of Event Scale- Revised, the Professional Quality of Life Scale-5, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 item, the Resilience Scale and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were compared across three subgroups of the sample (No PTSD, PTSD only, PTSD and depression). RESULTS: A total of 31% of subjects endorsed a diagnosis of PTSD and 28.4% reported PTSD comorbid with major depression. Females were more prone to develop post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms. Subjects with PTSD and depression groups showed high levels of PTSD, depression, burnout and impairment in functioning. Anxiety symptoms were higher in both PTSD and depression and PTSD groups rather than in the No PTSD group. CONCLUSION: Our results showed high rates of PTSD and depression among Healthcare Workers and their comorbidity overall being associated with worse outcomes. Current findings suggest that interventions to prevent and treat psychological implications among Healthcare Workers facing infectious outbreaks are needed.

[Resilience skills as a protective factor against burnout for health professionals: a cross-sectional study on new hires from the hospital of Lodi]. / La capacità di resilienza come un fattore di protezione per il burnout tra gli operatori sanitari: uno studio cross-sectional condotto sui neo-assunti dell'ASST di Lodi.

SUMMARY: Burnout symptoms are very common in health professionals. Public health workers are exposed to high levels of distress due to the need to face their parents' health problems. For this reason, they need to preserve some resources that can protect them from emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and low personal realization. Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between resilience and burnout in a sample of 85 health workers from the hospital of Lodi. Subjects who took part of the study are physicians, nurses, health and social workers, etc. Results show a significative correlation between resilience and two of the three burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion and personal realization) and a predictive value of resilience for the same dimensions mentioned above. These considerations confirm the importance of resilience to face distress and to avoid burnout.

Emotional dissonance and exhaustion among healthcare professionals: the role of the perceived quality of care.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this exploratory study was to analyze the association between emotional dissonance and emotional exhaustion among healthcare professionals, and the mediating role of the perceived quality of care in this relationship. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Self-report questionnaires were administered to 724 healthcare workers. The measurement model was tested and the mediation hypothesis was verified through hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Bootstrapping was used to construct confidence intervals to evaluate the mediation effects. RESULTS: Emotional dissonance was significantly related to emotional exhaustion, and the perceived quality of care was negatively related to emotional exhaustion. The perceived quality of care had a partial mediating effect on the relationship between emotional dissonance and emotional exhaustion. Emotional dissonance had a significant effect on emotional exhaustion, and the perceived quality of care was a mediating factor in this relationship among healthcare professionals. CONCLUSIONS: The management of the perceived quality of care may be helpful in the prevention of burnout and distress in the workplace. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(6):841-51.