Stress and Stigmatization in Health-Care Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The health-care workers showed the highest risks of the adverse psychological reactions from the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the structure and severity of psychological distress and stigmatization in different categories of health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included two phases of online survey in 1800 Russian-speaking health-care workers (March 30 - April 5 and May 4 - May 10, 2020). The Psychological Stress Scale (PSM-25) and modified Perceived Devaluation-Discrimination scale (Cronbach's α = 0.74) were used. Dispersion analysis was performed with P = 0.05, Cohen's d, and Cramer's V calculated (effect size [ES]). RESULTS: The psychological stress levels decreased in the second phase (ES = 0.13), while the stigma levels (ES = 0.33) increased. Physicians experienced more stress compared with nurses and paramedical personnel (ES = 0.34; 0.64), but were less likely to stigmatize SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals (ES = 0.43; 0.41). The increasing probability of contact with infected individuals was associated with higher levels of psychological stress (probable contact ES = 0.48; definite contact ES=0.97). The highest rates of contacts with COVID-19 patients were reported by physicians (χ2 = 123.0; P = 0.00, Cramer's V = 0.2), the youngest (ES = 0.5), and less experienced medical workers (ES = 0.33). CONCLUSION: Direct contact with coronavirus infection is associated with a significant increase in stress among medical personnel. The pandemic compromises the psychological well-being of the youngest and highly qualified specialists. However, the stigmatizing reactions are not directly associated with the risks of infection and are most prevalent among nurses and paramedical personnel.

New models of education for young psychiatrists.

The EEE WPA-Servier Academy was created in 2012. In 6 years 21 young researchers from the WPA zone 10 participated in EPA and ECNP Congresses and prepared peer-reviews on the most interesting topics for psychiatric journals of Eastern Europe. Seventy articles were written, which appeared as 91 publications in 13 journals from seven countries. As a result the first Congress of the young psychiatrists of Eastern Europe took place in Minsk (Belarus). Suzdal Schools of Young Psychiatrists have existed for more than 40 years. Their main features are distinguished: a high scientific level, diverse and rich programme, internationalization, scope, duration, variety of the methods and forms of material presentation, and a multi-stage scientific competition. The preservation of the traditions of the school and the unusual atmosphere of the School are noted. About 4000 psychiatrists of three generations are graduates of these schools.

Training of psychiatrists in Eastern Europe: problems and solutions.

The analysis of the training of mental health professionals in WPA Zone 10 was performed based on a comparison of data of a specifically designed questionnaire comprising 29 questions on undergraduate education, 34 questions on postgraduate training, and six questions on training of general practitioners to work in the field of mental health. The project involved National Associations of psychiatrists of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. This comparison provides an opportunity to identify ways to improve psychiatric training in Eastern Europe.