Psychological Distress Among Occupational Health Professionals During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Spain: Description and Effect of Work Engagement and Work Environment.

Carlos Ruiz-Frutos,Macarena Romero-Martín,Juan Gómez-Salgado,Guillermo Soriano-Tarín,Regina Allande-Cussó,Mónica Ortega-Moreno,Juan Luis Cabanillas-Moruno

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.765169

Abstract

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the mental health of hospital health professionals has been widely described, but few studies have focused on occupational health professionals. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess psychological distress (PD) of occupational health workers and its relationship with their work engagement (WE) and work environment characteristics. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. A sample of 499 nurses and physicians participated in the study. Variables included demographic data, work environment characteristics, work engagement Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) and psychological distress General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection method was performed for data analysis. Data collection took place via the internet between April 23 and June 24, 2020. A total of 65.53% of the participants had PD, and the total mean score of the UWES-9 scale was 34.80 (SD = 10.69). Workload, conflicts, stressful situations, and less job satisfaction were significantly related to a higher percentage of PD (p < 0.05). Participants with low engagement showed higher levels of PD (76.7%; p < 0.001). The dedication was revealed as the most significant dimension. Interventions aimed at promoting resilience and coping strategies are suggested. WE should be fostered as a preventive measure against PD among occupational health workers. By protecting workers, occupational health departments have a shared responsibility with public health in containing the pandemic. Therefore, it is essential to prevent the psychological impact that this responsibility may have on occupational health workers by implementing prevention measures.

Highlights

The health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID19) has been considered an unprecedented global pandemic that threatens the entire world
This study aimed to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological welfare among the occupational health professionals in Spain, during the pandemic outbreak
Occupational health professionals participating in this study showed lower psychological distress (PD) (65.53%) than results obtained in a similar previous study conducted in Spain involving healthcare professionals (80.6%) (Gómez-Salgado et al, 2020)

Summary

Introduction

The health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID19) has been considered an unprecedented global pandemic that threatens the entire world. Symptoms and signs present with unpredictable intensity, ranging from asymptomatic to severely compromised, leading to death (Adhikari et al, 2020) Due to this variability, in addition to the unavailability of a specific treatment against the virus, the most effective approach to protecting the population is preventive measures to avoid exposure to the virus and vaccination (Singhal, 2020). The risk of PD increases when working directly with patients suffering from COVID-19, due to fear of their own contagion and concern for the health of their relatives (Babicki et al, 2021) This entails the need to ensure adherence of healthcare professionals to appropriate infection prevention measures during the health crisis (Temsah et al, 2020)

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Discussion

Conclusion