Predictors of Poor Mental Health Outcomes in Healthcare Workers during COVID-19: A Two Waves Study.

Objective

This cross-sectional study aimed to identify potential predictors of poor mental health outcomes among healthcare workers in two different waves of the COVID-19 emergency in Italy.

Methods

An online survey collected data from N = 557 healthcare workers (21-77 years). The study predictors were sociodemographic characteristics, occupational status, factors related to the work environment, COVID-19-related adverse events, and lifetime traumatic events. The poor mental health outcomes that were considered were depersonalization/derealization, anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms.

Results

The main predictors of poor mental health outcomes were sleeping less than six hours per night, inadequate protective equipment measures, female gender, personal and familiar infection, living alone, working as a nurse, and working in a COVID-19 ward. Healthcare workers in 2021 reported experiencing more serious accidents and stressful events than those of the first wave. Depressive symptoms and COVID-19-related adverse events were higher in the second pandemic outbreak than in the first.

Conclusions

Preventive strategies against poor mental health outcomes should be particularly focused on female nurses who live alone, work in areas with high infection rates, and have experienced the COVID-19 infection personally or who are close to people that have experienced the infection.