Abstract
Background: It is common knowledge that first responders are among the helping professionals most at risk of burnout and psychological vulnerability. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their mental health has been subjected to various risk factors. Methods: Data on socio-demographic characteristics, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and psychological vulnerability (SCL-90-R) were obtained from 228 subjects (55.3% female; M age = 45.23, SD = 13.14) grouped on the basis of their actual involvement during the emergency phases (82% First Responders and 18% Second Responders). Results: First responders exceeded the MBI clinical cut-off, while SRs did not (χ² ≥ 0.5); specifically, EE = 89.8%, DP = 85.8%, and PA = 82.1%. The FR group showed a higher mean in the global severity index (GSI = 49.37) than did the SRs (=43.95), and the FR group exceeded the clinical cut-off in the SCL-90-R scales of SOM (51.06), ANX (52.40), and PHOB (53.60), while the SF group did so only for the PHOB scale (50.41). The MBI dimensions correlated significantly (p = 0.05) with all investigated clinical scales of the SCL-90-R. Conclusions: Emergency situations expose first responders to specific risk factors related to work performance and relational aspects, which contribute to increased psychological vulnerability and burnout.
Highlights
Several studies [1–3] have highlighted the strong impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation on frontline workers, including first responders, identified as one of the highestrisk groups in terms of negative physical and mental health impacts since the beginning of the pandemic.The definition of first responders typically includes professionals and/or volunteers trained in traditional emergency response groups that include medical and paramedical rescue personnel, among others [4,5]
The objective of this study, was to: (a) Assess the burnout levels in health professionals involved in the frontline care of COVID-19 patients; (b) monitor the levels of depersonalization, phobic anxiety, and psychoticism in relation to trends of increase and/or decrease in hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients; and (c) verify any correlations due to personal or work context variables intended as risk factors and maintenance of the clinical symptoms detected
In phase T1, the means of the scores underwent a decrease in both groups investigated, and the clinical scales that in phase T0 exceeded the clinical cut-off were within the standardized mean, the result is that the first responders (FRs) showed higher vulnerability levels compared to SRs
Summary
Several studies [1–3] have highlighted the strong impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation on frontline workers, including first responders, identified as one of the highestrisk groups in terms of negative physical and mental health impacts since the beginning of the pandemic. The definition of first responders typically includes professionals and/or volunteers trained in traditional emergency response groups that include medical and paramedical rescue personnel, among others [4,5] These different groups, within their professional spheres, play different roles in response to a critical and emergency event and, are assisted by second responders who deal with the immediate restoration of procedures and protocols in the field, clinics, and hospitals. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 2794 growing need for social distance, the high risk of infection, and the pressures in interactions with an audience have been added, further exacerbating various aspects of the working life of professionals, especially in terms of emotional load. Public Health 2022, 19, 2794 growing need for social distance, the high risk of infection, and the pressures in interactions with an audience have been added, further exacerbating various aspects of the working life of professionals, especially in terms of emotional load This is often translated into severe forms of burnout. Burnout is generally defined as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal derealization, which can manifest itself in all those professions with very pronounced relational implications, primarily in helping professions [8]
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