Psychological Responses of Health Care Workers Are Strongly Associated With Pandemic Management

Veronika Pacutova; Andrea Madarasova Geckova; Peter Kizek; Martin Novotny; Andrea F de Winter; Sijmen A Reijneveld

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.902673

Psychological Responses of Health Care Workers Are Strongly Associated With Pandemic Management

Front Psychol. 2022 Jul 7:13:902673. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.902673. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Veronika Pacutova^{1

2}, Andrea Madarasova Geckova^{1

2

3}, Peter Kizek⁴, Martin Novotny⁵, Andrea F de Winter², Sijmen A Reijneveld²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology, Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia.
² Department of Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
³ Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economics Sciences, Comenius University Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia.
⁴ I. Stomatology Clinic, University Hospital of Louis Pasteur, Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia.
⁵ Department of Infectious Disease and Travel Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia.

Abstract

Background: Globally, governments adopted protective measures to stabilize the worsening COVID-19 pandemic situation. These measures had a large impact on health care workers (HCWs) and could make the work environment more stressful for them. Therefore, we explored the associations of the psychological responses of HCWs and pandemic management among Slovak health care workers during the second wave of the pandemic.

Materials and methods: We obtained data about psychological responses, COVID-19 experiences, information overload, non-adherence of the public, work stress and barriers and facilitators of health care provision from HCWs at the COVID-19-related departments of one hospital that mainly covered eastern Slovakia (215 health care professionals, 77.7% females, M/SD = 44.4). Data were analyzed using logistic regression models adjusted for gender.

Results: Pandemic management was most strongly associated with psychological responses, such as irritability, sadness, anxiety, dizziness, and back pain, in health care workers. The non-adherence of the public had the strongest associated psychological impact on HCWs, mostly affecting anxiety and irritability (odds ratios, ORs varying from 3.9 to 7.0). From the barriers and facilitators of health care provision, the use of personal protective equipment had the most impact psychologically, whereas efficient department management was most protective, with ORs around 0.3.

Conclusion: Pandemic management has a large impact on health care workers, and promoting resilience may seriously decrease job-related stress and associated psychological responses of HCWs.

Keywords: COVID-19; barriers and facilitative factors; health care workers; pandemic management; psychological responses; stress.