Healthcare Workers’ SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Uncertainty-Related Stress, Resilience, and Coping Strategies during the First Week of the World Health Organization’s Alert

Temsah, Mohamad-Hani; Alenezi, Shuliweeh; Alarabi, Mohammed; Aljamaan, Fadi; Alhasan, Khalid; Assiri, Rasha; Bassrawi, Rolan; Alshahrani, Fatimah; Alhaboob, Ali; Alaraj, Ali; Alharbi, Nasser; Alrabiaah, Abdulkarim; Halwani, Rabih; Jamal, Amr; Abdulmajeed, Naif; Alfarra, Lina; Almashdali, Wafa; Al‐Eyadhy, Ayman; Alzamil, Fahad; Alsubaie, Sarah; Barry, Mazin; Memish, Ziad A.; Al‐Tawfiq, Jaffar A.

doi:10.3390/ijerph19041944

Cited by 37 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…HCWs were surveyed regarding their Omicron variant awareness, perceptions of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccinations and other measures to prevent its spread and that of other future variants, and their agreement with mandatory vaccination for all eligible adults. The last part of the survey focused on HCWs' resilience, anxiety, and coping strategies, which was published as preprint [21]. The current survey was adopted from our previously published studies, with modifications related to the new Omicron variant [22][23][24][25].…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: exploring healthcare workers’ awareness and perception of vaccine effectiveness: a national survey during the first week of WHO variant alert

Temsah

Aljamaan²,

Alenezi

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: As COVID-19 Omicron variant spread in several countries, healthcare workers' (HCWs) perceptions of vaccine effectiveness, booster and worries warrant reassessment. Methods: Online questionnaire among HCWs in Saudi Arabia (KSA) was collected between Dec 1-6, 2021, aiming to assess their Omicron variant's perceptions, worries, and booster-vaccine advocacy. Results: Among the 1285 HCWs participants in the study, two-thirds were females, 41% were nurses,46.4% were physicians, and 50% worked in tertiary care hospitals. Vaccination was perceived to be the most effective way to prevent the spread of Omicron variant and future variants by 66.9%. The respondents perceived social distancing (78%), universal masking (77.8%), and avoiding unnecessary travel (71.4%), slightly superior to vaccination to prevent COVID-19 variants spread. Of the respondents, 99.5% received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Regarding the booster dose, 96% either received it or planned to receive it once they are eligible. 57.7% of the respondents agreed that Omicron could cause a new COVID-19 wave worldwide, 45.9% agreed it may cause another COVID-19 wave in Saudi Arabia and 46.1% indicated the possibility of another lockdown. Overall, the HCWs worry level of the Omicron variant correlated significantly and strongly with their perception of the effectiveness of vaccination and preventive measures. Male HCWs had a significant agreement with mandatory vaccination of all eligible adult populations while HCWs who are unwilling to receive the vaccine had a strong disagreement with mandatory vaccination. Conclusions: The current study was conducted in the first week of Omicron variant discovery in KSA and only two-thirds of HCWs felt that vaccination is the best option to prevent the variant spread, indicating the need to further motivation campaigns for vaccination and booster doses education among HCWs. HCWs had a strong belief in non-pharmacologic interventions that should be encouraged and augmented. It is important to further study and enhance coping strategies for HCWs as we move through the third year of the pandemic with more potential variants, to protect HCWs from fatigue and burnout.

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Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: exploring healthcare workers’ awareness and perception of vaccine effectiveness: a national survey during the first week of WHO variant alert

Temsah

Aljamaan²,

Alenezi

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…They must learn coping strategies that support the management of anxiety and psychological distress that is inevitably encountered during such experiences. Organizations and institutions should be required to offer positive support, to promote resilience, and to educate employees in adaptation/coping strategies ( 20 , 58 , 59 ). Doing so would reduce encountered stress and psychological distress and lead to better healthcare delivery ( 47 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Future studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of courses, training strategies, and technologies that target preventative measures for healthcare professionals in order to ensure a higher level of readiness for tackling pandemics. As different variants of COVID-19 arise, level of stress among healthcare professionals increases due to uncertainty of consequences, rapidity of spread, contiguousness, and strict precautionary measures ( 58 ). Therefore, public health officials must be prepared with ready guidelines, updated information, and recommendations to deal with emerging new variants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, public health officials must be prepared with ready guidelines, updated information, and recommendations to deal with emerging new variants. Such measures can help to support healthcare professionals to minimize their anxiety and fear, and consequently improve their confidence in dealing with pandemic related issues ( 58 , 60 ). Administrators must be retrained and given greater responsibilities to monitor the status of healthcare workers during pandemics in order to achieve healthier working environments and support desired therapeutic outcomes for different patient populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Manifestation of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Its Association With Somatic Symptoms Among Occupational and Physical Therapists During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Alnaser

Alotaibi

Nadar

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the level of generalized anxiety disorder among occupational and physical therapists during treatment sessions and its association with somatic symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional design was used in this study. Data were collected during the month of April 2021, and the study included occupational and physical therapists who practiced during COVID-19 from March 2020 to March 2021. The generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7) and a modified patient health questionnaire (mPHQ-15) were used to examine self-reported anxiety and somatic symptoms among the study participants. The independent t-test was used to determine differences between groups based on GAD-7 and mPHQ-15 results. Spearman's correlation test and chi-squared test were used to find the relationships between different variables such as anxiety and somatic symptoms.ResultsThe study (n = 98 participants) included 56 occupational and 42 physical therapists. An 84% response rate was achieved. GAD-7 final score was μ = 9.21 ± 5.63 with 27% reporting no anxiety, 14% mild, 38% moderate, and 21% severe. Independent t-tests on GAD-7 scores showed significant differences between therapist specializations [t(96) = −2.256; p = 0.026] and between therapists residing with or without their parents [t(96) = −2.536; p = 0.013]. The mPHQ-15 final score was μ = 9.52 ± 5.54 with 13% reporting no symptoms (n = 13), 20% mild (n = 20), 38% moderate (n = 37), and 29% severe (n = 28). GAD-7 and mPHQ-15 scores were moderately positively correlated [r(96) = 0.569; p <0.000]. The chi-squared test showed a significant association between GAD-7 levels of anxiety and mPHQ-15 levels of somatic symptoms [x2(9, N = 98) = 70.62 p <0.000]. Therapists reported that the quality (76%) and effectiveness (20%) of their rehabilitation services were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.ConclusionThe majority of study participants experienced moderate to severe anxiety and associated somatic symptoms. During COVID-19, ongoing psychological counseling of healthcare professionals such as occupational and physical therapists is required to maintain positive mental health. Implications for practice are presented.

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“…Health care workers (HCWs) in SA showed a high conviction in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant infection prevention measures ( 17 ). Moreover, increase stress among HCWs in SA immediately after a new infectious threat emerges ( 18 ). The Omicron variant is causing a new wave of the COVID-19 outbreak over the world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical Characteristics, Laboratory Findings, Management, and Outcome of Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children at a Tertiary Care Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study

et al. 2022

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BackgroundNumerous studies worldwide have reported COVID-19 in children; however, the clinical symptoms and consequences of COVID-19 in children have only been reported in a few studies in Saudi and gulf region. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in children and the therapeutic interventions used.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included 96 patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection aged ≤14 years who were admitted to a tertiary governmental care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between March 2020 and November 2020. Data on children with COVID-19, including demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, imaging and laboratory results, therapies, and clinical outcomes, were analyzed.ResultsOf 96 children admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, 63.8% were aged ≤ 3 years, 52.1% were male, 56.2% had an unknown source of infection, and 51% had no comorbidities. Most cases had severe infection (71.88%) as they required oxygen, 10.42% of whom were critical. The most common symptoms were respiratory-related (98%), and the common physical sign was fever (49%). High D-dimer (90.7%) and C-reactive protein (72.09%) levels were found in most cases. Oxygen (71.88%) was the most commonly used treatment. Most patients were discharged home and fully recovered (97.92%). We reported two deaths (2.08%).ConclusionsOur findings showed that the majority of the admitted children with COVID-19 were ≤3 years of age (52.1%) and infected with an unknown source (56.2%). Moreover, the majority of the cases had severe COVID-19 infection as they required oxygen (71.88%), although they had favorable outcomes. However, some cases were critical and resulted in death. Future studies will be crucial to better understand the disease spectrum and potential therapeutic options for COVID-19 in children.

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Healthcare Workers’ SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Uncertainty-Related Stress, Resilience, and Coping Strategies during the First Week of the World Health Organization’s Alert

Cited by 37 publications

References 64 publications

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: exploring healthcare workers’ awareness and perception of vaccine effectiveness: a national survey during the first week of WHO variant alert

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: exploring healthcare workers’ awareness and perception of vaccine effectiveness: a national survey during the first week of WHO variant alert

Manifestation of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Its Association With Somatic Symptoms Among Occupational and Physical Therapists During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Clinical Characteristics, Laboratory Findings, Management, and Outcome of Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children at a Tertiary Care Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study

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