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The psychological burden of long-term care facilities personnel during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic – a national survey in poland

INTRODUCTION: The high COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are observed among residents in long-term care facilities (LTCF) worldwide. Employees of LTCF, who are facing a critical epidemiological situation endangering the vulnerable residents, are exposed to pandemic’s psychological consequences daily....

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Senczyszyn, A., Lion, K., Szcześniak, D., Trypka, E., Mazurek, J., Ciułkowicz, M., Fila-Witecka, K., Pawłowski, M., Łuc, M., Maćkowiak, M., Rymaszewska, J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cambridge University Press 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9528188/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.709
Descripción
Sumario:INTRODUCTION: The high COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are observed among residents in long-term care facilities (LTCF) worldwide. Employees of LTCF, who are facing a critical epidemiological situation endangering the vulnerable residents, are exposed to pandemic’s psychological consequences daily. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study was to assess psychological consequences (somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and depression) among LTCF employees exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis. Moreover, we investigated if factors such as: personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, safety guidelines or access to psychiatric and psychological support at the workplace, correlated with the level of psychological distress experienced by personnel. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among personnel of LTCF in Poland. The survey consisted of the sociodemographic section, the authors’ questionnaire with questions related to COVID-19 exposure, working conditions, access to PPE and mental health services, GHQ Questionnaire-28. RESULTS: show that access to PPE (P= .018), to workplace safety guidelines (P= .031), psychological support at workplace (P<0.01), fixed shift schedule (P= .05) and feeling that the right number of staff are employed in the workplace (P= .009), were related to the lower severity of psychopathological symptoms evaluated with the GHQ-28. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates an evidence that LTCF personnel are susceptible to the development of anxiety, depression, insomnia and social dysfunction during the pandemic crisis. However, these can be modified by: access to PPE, safety guidelines and psychological support. Findings from this study lay a basis for effective interventions aiming to support psychological health within this group.