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A One-Year Prospective Study of Work-Related Mental Health in the Intensivists of a COVID-19 Hub Hospital

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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)

  • Massimo Antonelli

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

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely tested the physical and mental health of health care workers (HCWs). The various stages of the epidemic have posed different problems; consequently, only a prospective study can effectively describe the changes in the workers’ health. This repeated cross-sectional study is based on a one-year investigation (spring 2020 to spring 2021) of intensive care physicians in one of the two COVID-19 hub hospitals in Central Italy and aims to study the evolution of the mental health status of intensivists during the pandemic. Changes in their work activity due to the pandemic were studied anonymously together with their perception of organisational justice, occupational stress, sleep quality, anxiety, depression, burnout, job satisfaction, happiness, and intention to quit. In May–June 2021, one year after the baseline, doctors reported an increased workload, isolation at work and in their social life, a lack of time for physical activity and meditation, and compassion fatigue. Stress was inversely associated with the perception of justice in safety procedures and directly correlated with work isolation. Occupational stress was significantly associated with anxiety, depression, burnout, dissatisfaction, and their intention to quit. Procedural justice was significantly associated with happiness. Doctors believed vaccinations would help control the problem; however, this positive attitude had not yet resulted in improved mental health. Doctors reported high levels of distress (73%), sleep problems (28%), anxiety (25%), and depression (64%). Interventions to correct the situation are urgently needed.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Magnavita & Paolo Maurizio Soave & Massimo Antonelli, 2021. "A One-Year Prospective Study of Work-Related Mental Health in the Intensivists of a COVID-19 Hub Hospital," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-12, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9888-:d:639307
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nicola Magnavita & Paolo Maurizio Soave & Massimo Antonelli, 2021. "Prolonged Stress Causes Depression in Frontline Workers Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study in a COVID-19 Hub-Hospital in Central Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-13, July.
    2. 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.
    3. Nicola Magnavita & Francesco Chirico & Sergio Garbarino & Nicola Luigi Bragazzi & Emiliano Santacroce & Salvatore Zaffina, 2021. "SARS/MERS/SARS-CoV-2 Outbreaks and Burnout Syndrome among Healthcare Workers. An Umbrella Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-13, April.
    4. Nicola Magnavita, 2018. "Medical Surveillance, Continuous Health Promotion and a Participatory Intervention in a Small Company," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-13, April.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Sergio Garbarino & Giovanni Tripepi & Nicola Magnavita, 2020. "Sleep Health Promotion in the Workplace," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, October.
    8. Nicola Magnavita & Sergio Garbarino, 2017. "Sleep, Health and Wellness at Work: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, November.
    9. Qian Hui Chew & Faith Li-Ann Chia & Wee Khoon Ng & Wan Cheong Ivan Lee & Pei Lin Lynnette Tan & Chen Seong Wong & Ser Hon Puah & Vishalkumar G. Shelat & Ee-Jin Darren Seah & Cheong Wei Terence Huey & , 2020. "Perceived Stress, Stigma, Traumatic Stress Levels and Coping Responses amongst Residents in Training across Multiple Specialties during COVID-19 Pandemic—A Longitudinal Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-13, September.
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    Cited by:

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    4. Lorenza Lia & Eleonora Ricci & Corrado Colaprico & Eleonora Di Legge & Augusto Faticoni & Lorenzo Maria Donini & Giuseppe La Torre, 2022. "Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Nutritional Status and Lipid Profile of Employees in a Teaching Hospital in Rome: A Retrospective Cohort Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-12, April.
    5. Nicola Magnavita, 2022. "Headache in the Workplace: Analysis of Factors Influencing Headaches in Terms of Productivity and Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-11, March.
    6. Nicola Magnavita & Paolo Maurizio Soave & Massimo Antonelli, 2022. "Treating Anti-Vax Patients, a New Occupational Stressor—Data from the 4th Wave of the Prospective Study of Intensivists and COVID-19 (PSIC)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-13, May.
    7. Marina Ruxandra Oțelea & Agripina Rașcu & Cătălin Staicu & Lavinia Călugăreanu & Mădălina Ipate & Silvia Teodorescu & Ovidiu Persecă & Angelica Voinoiu & Andra Neamțu & Violeta Calotă & Dana Mateș, 2022. "Exhaustion in Healthcare Workers after the First Three Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Patricia Angeli da Silva Pigati & Renato Fraga Righetti & Victor Zuniga Dourado & Bruna Tiemi Cunha Nisiaymamoto & Beatriz Mangueira Saraiva-Romanholo & Iolanda de Fátima Lopes Calvo Tibério, 2022. "Resilience Improves the Quality of Life and Subjective Happiness of Physiotherapists during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-22, July.
    9. Giovanni Veronesi & Emanuele Maria Giusti & Alessia D’Amato & Francesco Gianfagna & Rossana Borchini & Gianluca Castelnuovo & Licia Iacoviello & Marco Mario Ferrario, 2022. "The North Italian Longitudinal Study Assessing the Mental Health Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on Health Care Workers—Part I: Study Design and Psychometric Structural Validity of the HSE Indicator To," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-12, August.
    10. Cristina Civilotti & Daniela Acquadro Maran & Sergio Garbarino & Nicola Magnavita, 2022. "Hopelessness in Police Officers and Its Association with Depression and Burnout: A Pilot Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-12, April.
    11. Dominik Hinzmann & Katharina Schütte-Nütgen & Arndt Büssing & Olaf Boenisch & Hans-Jörg Busch & Christoph Dodt & Patrick Friederich & Matthias Kochanek & Guido Michels & Eckhard Frick, 2022. "Critical Care Providers’ Moral Distress: Frequency, Burden, and Potential Resources," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Nicola Magnavita & Reparata Rosa Di Prinzio & Igor Meraglia & Maria Eugenia Vacca & Paolo Maurizio Soave & Enrico Di Stasio, 2023. "Sleep in Residents: A Comparison between Anesthesiology and Occupational Medicine Interns," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-13, January.
    13. Kathrine Jáuregui Renaud & Davis Cooper-Bribiesca & Elizabet Martínez-Pichardo & José A. Miguel Puga & Dulce M. Rascón-Martínez & Luis A. Sánchez Hurtado & Tania Colin Martínez & Eliseo Espinosa-Pobla, 2021. "Acute Stress in Health Workers during Two Consecutive Epidemic Waves of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-19, December.

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