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Occupational Stress and Mental Health among Anesthetists during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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  • Nicola Magnavita

    (Postgraduate School of Occupational Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
    Department of Woman/Child & Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Paolo Maurizio Soave

    (Postgraduate School of Occupational Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
    Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Resuscitation Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Walter Ricciardi

    (Department of Woman/Child & Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy)

  • Massimo Antonelli

    (Department of Emergency, Anesthesiology and Resuscitation Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

Anesthetist-intensivists who treat patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) are exposed to significant biological and psychosocial risks. Our study investigated the occupational and health conditions of anesthesiologists in a COVID-19 hub hospital in Latium, Italy. Ninety out of a total of 155 eligible workers (59%; male 48%) participated in the cross-sectional survey. Occupational stress was assessed with the Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI) questionnaire, organizational justice with the Colquitt Scale, insomnia with the Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI), and mental health with the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADS). A considerable percentage of workers (71.1%) reported high work-related stress, with an imbalance between high effort and low rewards. The level of perceived organizational justice was modest. Physical activity and meditation—the behaviors most commonly adopted to increase resilience—decreased. Workers also reported insomnia (36.7%), anxiety (27.8%), and depression (51.1%). The effort made for work was significantly correlated with the presence of depressive symptoms (r = 0.396). Anesthetists need to be in good health in order to ensure optimal care for COVID-19 patients. Their state of health can be improved by providing an increase in individual resources with interventions for better work organization.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Magnavita & Paolo Maurizio Soave & Walter Ricciardi & Massimo Antonelli, 2020. "Occupational Stress and Mental Health among Anesthetists during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:8245-:d:441660
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nicola Magnavita & Giovanni Tripepi & Reparata Rosa Di Prinzio, 2020. "Symptoms in Health Care Workers during the COVID-19 Epidemic. A Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Sergio Garbarino & Nicola Magnavita, 2019. "Sleep problems are a strong predictor of stress-related metabolic changes in police officers. A prospective study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-19, October.
    3. Francesco Chirico & Angelo Sacco & Nicola Luigi Bragazzi & Nicola Magnavita, 2020. "Can Air-Conditioning Systems Contribute to the Spread of SARS/MERS/COVID-19 Infection? Insights from a Rapid Review of the Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-11, August.
    4. Shamona Maharaj & Ty Lees & Sara Lal, 2018. "Prevalence and Risk Factors of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in a Cohort of Australian Nurses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Sajed Faisal Ghawadra & Khatijah Lim Abdullah & Wan Yuen Choo & Cheng Kar Phang, 2019. "Psychological distress and its association with job satisfaction among nurses in a teaching hospital," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(21-22), pages 4087-4097, November.
    6. Sergio Garbarino & Nicola Magnavita, 2015. "Work Stress and Metabolic Syndrome in Police Officers. A Prospective Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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