(1) Background: The present study aims to assess the level of professional burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS), and to identify potential risk or protective factors among health care workers (HCWs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.; (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study, based on an online survey, collected demographic data and mental distress outcomes from 184 HCWs from 1 May 2020, to 15 June 2020, from 45 different countries. The degree of STS, perceived stress and burnout was assessed using the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Service Survey (MBI-HSS) respectively. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to identify potential risk and protective factors for STS; (3) Results: 184 HCWs (M = 90; Age mean: 46.45; SD: 11.02) completed the survey. A considerable proportion of HCWs had symptoms of STS (41.3%), emotional exhaustion (56.0%), and depersonalization (48.9%). The prevalence of STS was 47.5% in frontline HCWs while in HCWs working in other units it was 30.3% (p < 0.023); 67.1% for the HCWs exposed to patients’ death and 32.9% for those HCWs which were not exposed to the same condition (p < 0.001). In stepwise multiple regression analysis, perceived stress, emotional exhaustion, and exposure to patients’ death remained as significant predictors in the final model for STS (adjusted R2 = 0.537, p < 0.001); (4) Conclusions: During the current COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs facing patients’ physical pain, psychological suffering, and death are more likely to develop STS.

Background Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic rheumatologic disease characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and other psychopathological symptoms which have a negative impact on patients’ quality of life. FMS is frequently associated with alexithymia, a multidimensional construct characterized by difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF) and verbally communicating them difficulty describing feelings (DDF) and an externally oriented cognitive thinking style (EOT). The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between alexithymia, anxious and depressive symptoms and pain perception, in patients with FMS and other rheumatic diseases (RD). Methods The sample consisted of 127 participants (M = 25, F = 102; mean age: 51.97; SD: 11.14), of which 48 with FMS, 41 with RD and 38 healthy control group (HC). All groups underwent to a test battery investigating anxiety and depressive symptoms (HADS), pain (VAS; QUID-S/-A) and alexithymia (TAS-20). Results A high prevalence of alexithymia (TAS ≥ 61) was found in FMS (47.9%) and RD (41.5%) patients, compared to the HC group (2.6%). FMS patients showed significant higher scores than HC on DIF, DDF, EOT, anxiety and depression. The clinical sample, FMS and RD groups combined ( n = 89), alexithymic patients (AL, n = 40) exhibited higher scores in pain and psychological distress compared to non-alexithymic patients (N-AL, n = 34). Regression analysis found no relationship between alexithymia and pain in AL, meanwhile pain intensity was predicted by anxiety in N-AL. Conclusion While increasing clinical symptoms (pain intensity and experience, alexithymia, anxiety, and depression) in patients with fibromyalgia or rheumatic diseases, correlations were found on the one side, between alexithymia and psychological distress, on the other side, between pain experience and intensity. Meanwhile, when symptoms of psychological distress and alexithymia were subthreshold, correlations with pain experience and intensity became stronger.

Background: Several data suggest that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may exacerbate or trigger eating disorders (EDs). The aim of this paper was to summarize current literature studies on COVID pandemic and EDs.Methods: Literature search, study selection, methods, and quality evaluation were performed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.Results: A systematic search allowed the initial selection of 172 papers; 21 (12.2%) papers were eligible and included in the review. In selected studies, a total number of 29,108 subjects were enrolled (range: 10–11,391; mean/SD: 1,386 ± 2,800), 6,216 were men (21.4%), 22,703 were women (77.9%), and 189 (0.7%) were gender fluid or not declared. The mean age/SD of subjects was 30.2 ± 7.7. About 12 studies (57.1%) were online surveys, 4 (19.0%) were retrospective studies, 2 (9.5%) were qualitative studies, 2 (9.5%) were longitudinal cohort studies, and 1 was a social media survey (4.8%). Their analysis revealed five main findings: (1) changes in the routines of physical activities were related to the worsening of preoccupation on weight/body shape; (2) food access limitation during pandemic represented the risk factors for both triggering and exacerbating EDs; (3) restriction in healthcare facilities contributed to increase anxiety levels and to modify treatment compliance; (4) social isolation was related to the exacerbation of symptoms in patients with EDs who are home-confined with family members; and (5) conflicts and difficulties in relationships with “no way out” were the maintenance factors for ED symptoms, especially in adolescents and young adults.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on EDs that might be triggered by the exceptional conditions derived from COVID-19-related stress in predisposed subjects. Patients who were already affected by EDs experienced the worsening of their clinical conditions and related quality of life (QoL).

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Persisting limitations in respiratory function and gas exchange, cognitive impairment, and mental health deterioration have been observed weeks and months after acute SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). The present study aims at assessing the impairment at three-months in patients who successfully recovered from acute COVID-19. We collected data from May to July 2020. Patients underwent a multidimensional extensive assessment including pulmonary function test, psychological tests, thoracic echo scan, and functional exercise capacity. A total of 21 patients (M:13; Age 57.05 ± 11.02) completed the global assessment. A considerable proportion of patients showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (28.6%), moderate depressive symptoms (9.5%), and clinical insomnia (9.5%); 14.3% of patients exhibited moderate anxiety. A total of eleven patients (52.4%) showed impaired respiratory gas exchange capacity (P-DLCO, DLCO ≤ 79% pred). Compared to patients with normal gas exchange, the P-DLCO subgroup perceived a significant worsening in quality of life (QoL) after COVID-19 (p = 0.024), higher fatigue (p = 0.005), and higher impact of lung disease (p = 0.013). In P-DLCO subgroup, higher echo score was positively associated with hospitalization length of stay (p = 0.047), depressive symptoms (p = 0.042), fatigue (p = 0.035), impairment in mental health (p = 0.035), and impact of lung disease in health status (p = 0.020). Pulmonary function and echo scan lung changes were associated to worsened QoL, fatigue, and psychological distress symptoms.