IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i18p9888-d639307.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • 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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9888/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/18/9888/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. Sergio Garbarino & Giovanni Tripepi & Nicola Magnavita, 2020. "Sleep Health Promotion in the Workplace," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, October.
    5. Nicola Magnavita & Sergio Garbarino, 2017. "Sleep, Health and Wellness at Work: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, November.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pinky Mahlangu & Yandisa Sikweyiya & Andrew Gibbs & Nwabisa Shai & Mercilene Machisa, 2023. "“I Carry the Trauma and Can Vividly Remember”: Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Frontline Health Care Workers in South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    2. Ching-Lun Tsai & Cheng-Hao Tu & Jui-Cheng Chen & Hsien-Yuan Lane & Wei-Fen Ma, 2021. "Efficiency of an Online Health-Promotion Program in Individuals with At-Risk Mental State during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-12, November.
    3. 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.
    4. Ari Shechter & Codruta Chiuzan & Yimeng Shang & Gavin Ko & Franchesca Diaz & Hadiah K. Venner & Kaitlin Shaw & Diane E. Cannone & Cara L. McMurry & Alexandra M. Sullivan & Reynaldo R. Rivera & Courtne, 2021. "Prevalence, Incidence, and Factors Associated with Posttraumatic Stress at Three-Month Follow-Up among New York City Healthcare Workers after the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-11, December.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. 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.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    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 & 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Maria Rosaria Gualano & Tiziana Sinigaglia & Giuseppina Lo Moro & Stefano Rousset & Agnese Cremona & Fabrizio Bert & Roberta Siliquini, 2021. "The Burden of Burnout among Healthcare Professionals of Intensive Care Units and Emergency Departments during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-17, August.
    6. Nicola Magnavita, 2023. "Workplace Health Promotion Embedded in Medical Surveillance: The Italian Way to Total Worker Health Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-11, February.
    7. Antonio Lasalvia & Luca Bodini & Francesco Amaddeo & Stefano Porru & Angela Carta & Ranieri Poli & Chiara Bonetto, 2021. "The Sustained Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Care Workers One Year after the Outbreak—A Repeated Cross-Sectional Survey in a Tertiary Hospital of North-East Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Daniela Acquadro Maran & Nicola Magnavita & Sergio Garbarino, 2022. "Identifying Organizational Stressors That Could Be a Source of Discomfort in Police Officers: A Thematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-12, March.
    9. Sergio Garbarino & Giovanni Tripepi & Nicola Magnavita, 2020. "Sleep Health Promotion in the Workplace," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, October.
    10. Nicola Magnavita & Reparata Rosa Di Prinzio & Gabriele Arnesano & Anna Cerrina & Maddalena Gabriele & Sergio Garbarino & Martina Gasbarri & Angela Iuliano & Marcella Labella & Carmela Matera & Igor Ma, 2021. "Association of Occupational Distress and Low Sleep Quality with Syncope, Presyncope, and Falls in Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-11, November.
    11. Natasha Subhas & Nicholas Tze-Ping Pang & Wei-Cheng Chua & Assis Kamu & Chong-Mun Ho & Isabel Shamini David & William Wei-Liang Goh & Yogaraja Indran Gunasegaran & Kit-Aun Tan, 2021. "The Cross-Sectional Relations of COVID-19 Fear and Stress to Psychological Distress among Frontline Healthcare Workers in Selangor, Malaysia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-11, September.
    12. Jade Gourret Baumgart & Hélène Kane & Wissam El-Hage & Jocelyn Deloyer & Christine Maes & Marie-Clotilde Lebas & Donatella Marazziti & Johannes Thome & Laurence Fond-Harmant & Frédéric Denis, 2021. "The Early Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health Facilities and Psychiatric Professionals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-35, July.
    13. 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.
    14. Hussain Alyami & Christian U. Krägeloh & Oleg N. Medvedev & Saleh Alghamdi & Mubarak Alyami & Jamal Althagafi & Mataroria Lyndon & Andrew G. Hill, 2022. "Investigating Predictors of Psychological Distress for Healthcare Workers in a Major Saudi COVID-19 Center," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-11, April.
    15. Barili, Emilia & Bertoli, Paola & Grembi, Veronica & Rattini, Veronica, 2024. "COVID angels fighting daily demons? Mental well-being of healthcare workers and religiosity," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    16. Sergio Garbarino & Ottavia Guglielmi & Matteo Puntoni & Nicola Luigi Bragazzi & Nicola Magnavita, 2019. "Sleep Quality among Police Officers: Implications and Insights from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-15, March.
    17. Jianlin Ren & Shasha Duan & Leihong Guo & Hongwan Li & Xiangfei Kong, 2022. "Effects of Return Air Inlets’ Location on the Control of Fine Particle Transportation in a Simulated Hospital Ward," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-21, September.
    18. Sultan Ayoub Meo & Joud Mohammed Alkhalifah & Nouf Faisal Alshammari & Wejdan Saud Alnufaie, 2021. "Comparison of Generalized Anxiety and Sleep Disturbance among Frontline and Second-Line Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-11, May.
    19. Carolina Del-Valle-Soto & Ramon A. Briseño & Leonardo J. Valdivia & Ramiro Velázquez & Juan Arturo Nolazco-Flores, 2023. "Non-Invasive Monitoring of Vital Signs for the Elderly Using Low-Cost Wireless Sensor Networks: Exploring the Impact on Sleep and Home Security," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-31, August.
    20. Maria Marin-Farrona & Manuel Leon-Jimenez & Jorge Garcia-Unanue & Leonor Gallardo & Carmen Crespo-Ruiz & Beatriz Crespo-Ruiz, 2020. "Transtheoretical Model Is Better Predictor of Physiological Stress than Perceived Stress Scale and Work Ability Index among Office Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-15, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9888-:d:639307. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.