Anger and Aggression in Relation to Psychological Resilience and Alcohol Abuse among Health Professionals during the First Pandemic Wave

Abstract

Mental health problems, behavior changes, and addictive issues have been consistently documented among healthcare workers during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to investigate the levels of anger and aggression in relation to psychological resilience and alcohol abuse among healthcare workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 120 physicians and 123 nurses completed an online survey of the Dimensions of Anger Reactions-5 (DAR-5), the Brief Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Alcohol Screening questionnaire CAGE which is an acronym for the focus of the questions (Cutting down, Annoyance by criticism, Guilty feeling, and Eye-openers). Demographic and professional data were also recorded. A total of 53 men and 190 women participated in the study. Almost one-third of the participants had a positive score on the DAR-5 scale and one out of ten respondents presented with current problematic alcohol use. Male participants demonstrated lower scores on the DAR-5 scale compared to females. Individuals with current problematic alcohol use displayed higher scores on the BAQ compared to those without alcohol use disorders. Regression analysis revealed that 16.4% of the variance in the BAQ scores can be attributed to scores on the DAR-5, 5.9% to the BRS scores, 2.1% to the CAGE scores, 1.7% to gender, and 1.2% to years of work experience. Mediation analysis highlighted the role of psychological resilience as a negative mediator in the DAR-5 and BAQ relationship. Professional experience and alcohol abuse emerged as positive and negative risk factors contributing to aggression and psychological resilience. The findings hold practical implications for implementing interventions to strengthen resilience in order to compensate for aggressive tendencies and discourage addictive issues.

Nightmare distress, insomnia and resilience of nursing staff in the post-pandemic era

“…As to the gendered aspect of resilience, most studies support that males scored higher resilience levels compared to females, apart from reasons of heritability [117] , [118] . Gender-specific differences regarding resilience levels were not observed in our previous study on nursing staff during the pandemic [48] . In addition, since results from other studies have been equivocal, gender has been identified as an inconclusive and unreliable factor in predicting resilience.…”

“…With a target population of 27103 nurses [19] , [21] , [24] , at a confidence level of 95%, a margin of error of 5% and a percentage of our sample picking a particular answer of 50%, the adequate sample of nurses was set at 379 participants. Considering that the response rate in past studies [48] , [49] was more than 60%, a total of 600 email invitations were dispatched, with 433 nurses consenting to participate, resulting in a response rate of 72.2%. In the first 7 days we had received over 80% of the responses.…”

“…To obtain an individual's resilience score, the total scale score is divided by the number of questions they answered. Accordingly, scores exceeding 4.30 are indicative of high resilience, while values below 2.99 indicate low resilience [48] , [56] , [57] . Previous studies have established the scale's robust internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients reaching α = 0.86 [28] .…”

“…Existing studies support an inverse correlation between resilience and insomnia [46] , [47] . Research among nursing professionals has indicated that heightened resilience levels are associated with enhanced well-being and reduced psychological distress [48] . During the pandemic crisis, it was suggested that healthcare workers with elevated psychological resilience had an advantage in coping with pandemic-induced psychological stress and achieving successful recovery compared to those with lower resilience levels [49] .…”

Personality Traits, Burnout, and Psychopathology in Healthcare Professionals in Intensive Care Units—A Moderated Analysis

“…Secondly, the personality dimension of psychoticism was highlighted as an important predictor of the probability of high depersonalization and low personal achievement scores, confirming previous reports [ 38 , 108 ]. Specifically, feelings within the psychotic spectrum, such as irritability and quick-tempered reactions, a tendency to be suspicious of others’ motives or actions, feelings of restlessness, and general inner tension are valid signs of less psychological resilience and are significantly associated with a higher likelihood of perceiving incompetence, unsuccessful outcomes in their work, and a cynical behavior toward colleagues and patients [ 109 ]. Further, the association between psychoticism and lower personal achievement and higher depersonalization may be more pronounced among intensivists due to the increased responsibility and decisional burden associated with their roles, documented to impact decreased job satisfaction and emotional and psychological burnout [ 110 , 111 ].…”