Hostname: page-component-cc8bf7c57-ksm4s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-10T01:09:53.138Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The psychological burden of long-term care facilities personnel during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic – a national survey in poland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2021

A. Senczyszyn*
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
K. Lion
Affiliation:
Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
D. Szcześniak
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
E. Trypka
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
J. Mazurek
Affiliation:
Department And Division Of Medical Rehabilitation, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland
M. Ciułkowicz
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
K. Fila-Witecka
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
M. Pawłowski
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
M. Łuc
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
M. Maćkowiak
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
J. Rymaszewska
Affiliation:
Department Of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, Wrocław, Poland
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Introduction

The high COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are observed among residents in long-term care facilities (LTCF) worldwide. Employees of LTCF, who are facing a critical epidemiological situation endangering the vulnerable residents, are exposed to pandemic’s psychological consequences daily.

Objectives

The main aim of this study was to assess psychological consequences (somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, and depression) among LTCF employees exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis. Moreover, we investigated if factors such as: personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, safety guidelines or access to psychiatric and psychological support at the workplace, correlated with the level of psychological distress experienced by personnel.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among personnel of LTCF in Poland. The survey consisted of the sociodemographic section, the authors’ questionnaire with questions related to COVID-19 exposure, working conditions, access to PPE and mental health services, GHQ Questionnaire-28.

Results

show that access to PPE (P= .018), to workplace safety guidelines (P= .031), psychological support at workplace (P<0.01), fixed shift schedule (P= .05) and feeling that the right number of staff are employed in the workplace (P= .009), were related to the lower severity of psychopathological symptoms evaluated with the GHQ-28.

Conclusions

The study indicates an evidence that LTCF personnel are susceptible to the development of anxiety, depression, insomnia and social dysfunction during the pandemic crisis. However, these can be modified by: access to PPE, safety guidelines and psychological support. Findings from this study lay a basis for effective interventions aiming to support psychological health within this group.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.