COVID-19 Pandemic and Death Anxiety in Security Forces in Spain

Abstract

The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which produces COVID-19 disease, has revealed to political and social circles a series of needs that have not yet been met. The workers of the State Security Forces and the Armed Forces have done an extraordinary job to try to alleviate the effects that the pandemic has had on the population and to return stability to the citizenry as much as possible. In this context, the following investigation is developed based on two objectives: (PO1) to know the level of anxiety in the face of death in these professionals; (PO2) to determine the predictive variables in the above-mentioned phenomenon. Professionals from all over Spain have participated in the study (n = 2079). From a quantitative perspective, a questionnaire was developed from the Collet–Lester death anxiety scale. The results show a total level of 69.2% in the scale, as well as some higher levels about the fear of death of others (82.1%) and the fear of the process of dying of others (78.2%). On the other hand, from the binary logistic regressions, four variables are evidenced that condition the risk of suffering death anxiety: (a) certainty of needing psychological treatment in the future; (b) absence of Individual Protection Equipment (PPE); (c) high levels of Emotional Exhaustion; (d) high levels of depersonalization—these last two come from the Maslach and Jackson Burnout scale. These data show a need for training and intervention in the emotional and psychological demands of the professionals of the Armed Forces and State Security Forces, as well as the obligation to develop a continuous dialogue with the institutions they represent to foster the feeling of belonging to them. It is essential, regardless of the serious consequences that the virus has caused, to understand the psychosocial and emotional demands of enforcement agents and to improve their occupational health.

Death Anxiety in Social Workers as a Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In these circumstances in which the virus keeps sick people in need, most times assisted respiration, dying is more present than ever than death itself. In this sense, the high levels of fear of others’ dying process coincide with previous research concerning other groups, such as health care workers and law enforcement [ 11 , 42 ].…”

“…This situation, which has such an impact on these professionals, demands the creation of preventive actions and programs that care for these workers’ psychological health. As we have been able to determine in other groups [ 11 , 14 , 42 , 61 ], there is a significant demand for psychological resources that help to cope with these extreme situations, which generate a high level of stress. Therefore, training and prevention programs should be developed that, among other consequences, reduce anxiety in the face of death.…”

Burnout in Spanish Security Forces during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…These effects of the stress and stressors are not exclusive to the police profession but are faced by other related professions such as the armed forces and, in general, all the state security forces and corps [3,[13][14][15][16][17]. This is also the case with death anxiety, which has been able to develop in overflowing situations very close to death and which could interfere with professional development since it is not possible to identify it at the time [18].…”

“…The health crisis caused by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic (Coronavirus Disease), an infectious disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (2019-nCoV), has affected all sectors of the population in Spain, especially those who have worked on the front line such as health care professionals and organizations working for the safety and protection of citizens [5,18]. These professions, considered essential, have not been exempt from the stress caused by COVID-19 in society; they have had to perform their work anomalously due to the pandemic, experiencing alterations in their usual tasks.…”

“…Since the end of the confinement in Spain on 21 June 2020, the relaxation of the citizenry, including non-compliance with health rules and restrictions, has increased the number of police interventions and the mass contact with possible transmitters [18]. Likewise, the second wave of the pandemic brought an increase in active cases and hospital admissions exceeding the cases located during the first wave in a one-month period.…”