Abstract
Several studies have found a rise in the rate of psychological discomfort among healthcare personnel since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between psychological variables of anxiety, depression, stress, avoidance, intrusion and hyperarousal and several factors among German dental nurses. For this poll, dental nurses were asked nationwide to take part via an online-based survey from July 2020 to January 2021. This survey gathered data on demographics, as well as psychological assessments through the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) instrument, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). The correlations between DASS-21/IES-R ratings and sociodemographic data were investigated using univariate analyses (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests). Single comparisons were performed using the Dunn–Bonferroni post hoc test if a relevant test result was significant followed by multiple linear regressions. Furthermore, 252 dental nurses took part in the study and showed overall normal or mild results of all psychological variables. Having immune-deficiency or chronic diseases, employment at a dental practice, being married, having no children and seeing the pandemic as a financial threat were presented as significant risk factors (p ≤ 0.05) with higher DASS-21 and IES-R scores. These results emphasize the aspects that must be considered to safeguard German dental nurses’ mental wellbeing during the crisis.
Highlights
COVID-19, a novel infection, has been impacting public health and well-being worldwide since the year of 2020
Studies on the immediate mental effect of the infectious outbreak on the general population found that the outbreak had moderate to severe psychosomatic consequences [1]
The initial COVID-19 patient was testified in Bavaria, Germany, in the first months of
Summary
COVID-19, a novel infection, has been impacting public health and well-being worldwide since the year of 2020. The initial outbreak of the virus-related contagion was originally spotted in Wuhan, China and quickly spread throughout the globe This increased disease transmission, combined with a growing number of infected cases and subsequent severe health issues or deaths, prompted intense public concern and fear. An additional consequence of the outbreak on the population is the particular psychological burden of healthcare personnel, due to their close interaction with infected people and the augmented danger of disease transmission it entails [2] These include concerns over infecting their families or loved ones with the disease [3], experiencing discrimination by the community as potential virus carriers [4], in addition to extensive workloads and time constraints, despite being critically understaffed or lacking the necessary safety measures [5]. This psychological load was observed worldwide among healthcare workers presenting high levels of anxiety, fear and depression with the nursing staff being the most psychologically hampered [6]
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