Psychological impact on care professionals due to the SARS‐Cov‐2 virus in Spain

Abstract

To analyze the psychological impact of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic on nurses in Spain in three different dimensions: exposure to stressors, perceived emotions, and stress coping. Background: On March 11, 2019, the World Health Organization recognized a global pandemic caused by a SARS-Cov-2 virus, COVID-19, which rapidly spread across the planet, involving a community health emergency of international scope. Introduction: The pandemic situation in health centers has led to significant changes in the work environment, compromising care professionals' physical and psychological health and resulting in strong physical and mental exhaustion. Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out, between February and April 2021, in a large sample of 1360 participants. The researchers conducted the dissemination of a validated questionnaire to working nurses in Spain. Results:The sex variable in relation to the study dimensions (stressors, perceived emotions, and coping strategies) showed a mean for stressors of 62.2 ± 10.5 in women and 59.8 ± 12.5 in men (p = 0.010), showing statistically significant differences. Age was a protective factor for all dimensions (p < 0.001). Time of experience showed statistically significant differences for stressors and coping strategies in professionals with more than 15 years of experience. Discussion: Female nurses who are younger, have less work experience, have not built a family of their own, and live in smaller or indoor flats may be more vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health. Other national and international studies, in this line, have shown an important psychological impact on these professionals. Conclusion:It is necessary to design and adopt effective strategies and measures for the protection of nurses' mental health, as well as for the prevention and early diagnosis of possible mental health problems.

The Impact of Sociodemographic Characteristics on Coping Strategies Used by Nurses Working at COVID and Non-COVID Hospital Departments during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…A study from Spain also showed that being older, not being single, living in an independent house and having more than 15 years of working experience protected against stressors and perceived emotions, and were associated with a greater use of coping techniques [ 30 ]. They also found a greater impact of perceived negative emotions among auxiliary nurses than among university graduated nurses, which is in line with our findings that CoV nurses with high-school diplomas used avoidance coping significantly more than their colleagues with bachelor’s degrees.…”

Relationship between ABO Blood Group Distribution and COVID-19 Infection in Patients Admitted to the ICU: A Multicenter Observational Spanish Study

“…Spain is one of the most affected countries worldwide, with high rates of patients diagnosed, hospitalized, and deceased due to COVID-19 infection [ 2 ]. Different characteristics such as advanced age, male sex or some chronic diseases seem to increase the risk of more severe disease due to SARS-CoV-2 [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Landsteiner ABO blood groups were described on the basis of carbohydrate epitopes, which are present on the surface of erythrocytes and in many other types of human cells [ 7 ].…”

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of rehabilitation area professionals: A systematic review

“…Several factors increase the risk of mental health issues, including exposure to social, economic, geopolitical, and environmental circumstances. Mental health risks and protective factors are found in society at different scales, although, the most vulnerable people have taken the greatest impact ( 10 ). Global threats increase the risk of mental illness, including disease outbreaks, humanitarian emergencies, and forced displacement, among others ( 8 , 11 ).…”

“…The pandemic has left great changes in its waves, with an impact on the mental health of people. Therefore, it is important to design and adopt protection strategies for the mental health of health professionals, as well as the early diagnosis of possible mental health problems ( 10 ).…”