Health Professionals in a COVID-19 Reference Hospital: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Levels and Their Associations With Psychological Resilience and Quality of Life

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the quality of life of both the general population and health professionals and has increased the levels of psychopathology among them. The present study aims to map the levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological resilience, and quality of life of healthcare professionals who work in a COVID-19 reference hospital in Athens, Greece, one year after the onset of the pandemic. Also, this study focuses on investigating the relationships among the study variables and demographics and examining possible mediating effects. Methods The sample consisted of 400 health professionals from Sotiria Hospital, of whom 102 were men. Participants were asked to complete the Post-Traumatic Stress Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire. The survey was conducted from May to July 2021. Results The findings show statistical differences in resilience levels regarding marital status and employee education. Also, 13.5% of the staff reported significant PTSD levels, which relate to low levels of psychological resilience and every pillar of quality of life. Conclusions Thus, research findings indicate that resilience levels could have a protective effect on the development of PTSD symptoms. Therefore, the design of group interventions that aim at building health workers’ resilience will be discussed.