Critical Issues of Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Italian Healthcare Workers’ Experience
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. The Spread of COVID-19 in the Italian Context
1.2. How Healthcare Services Coped with the Pandemic
1.3. Risk and Protective Factors
1.4. The Survey
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Setting
2.2. Instruments
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Descriptive Data
3.2. Main Results: Single-Choice Questions
3.3. Main Results: Multiple-Choice Questions
3.3.1. Negative Psychological Outcomes
3.3.2. Positive Psychological Outcomes
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Characteristic | Original Sample | Clean Sample |
---|---|---|
Sex | ||
Females | 575 (76.8%) | 485 (75.78%) |
Males | 174 (23.2%) | 155 (24.22%) |
Age | ||
20–29 | 51 (6.81%) (M = 26.24; SD = 2.21) | 38 (5.94%) (M = 26; SD = 2.21) |
30–39 | 118 (15.75%) (M = 38.87; SD = 2.74) | 109 (17.03%) (M = 34.83; SD = 2.76) |
40–49 | 169 (22.56%) (M = 44.98; SD = 2.95) | 150 (23.44%) (M = 44.98; SD = 2.98) |
50–59 | 311 (41.52%) (M = 54.56; SD = 2.74) | 261 (40.78%) (M = 54.46; SD = 2.69) |
60–70 | 100 (13.35%) (M = 62.3; SD = 2.05) | 82 (12.81%) (M = 62.33; SD = 2.08) |
Job position | ||
Hospital workers | 291 (38.85%) | 257 (40.16%) |
Community workers | 218 (29.12%) | 177 (27.66%) |
Frontliners | 112 (14.95%) | 94 (14.69%) |
Administration workers | 103 (13.75%) | 89 (13.91%) |
Others | 19 (2.54%) | 18 (2.81%) |
Not fully employed | 6 (0.80%) | 5 (0.78%) |
Educational level | ||
PhD | 8 (1.1%) | 7 (1.09%) |
Post lauream master | 86 (11.35%) | 75 (11.72%) |
University | 393 (52.45%) | 344 (53.75%) |
High School | 221 (29.51%) | 185 (28.91%) |
Middle School | 37 (5%) | 25 (3.91%) |
Children | ||
Yes | 495 (66.09%) | 416 (65%) |
No | 254 (33.91%) | 224 (35%) |
Social status | ||
Married | 434 (58%) | 377 (58.91%) |
In a relationship | 124 (16.55%) | 102 (15.94%) |
Single | 100 (13.35%) | 89 (13.91%) |
Divorced | 76 (10.15%) | 62 (9.69%) |
Question | Option | Categories | No. (%) | X2 (df, N) | p |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2. How do you cope with the pandemic difficulties? | Discussing with family and friends | Females | 233 (48.04%) | 7.77 (1, 1110) | =0.005 |
Males | 49 (31.61%) | ||||
3. Did you have the opportunity to ask for help for the pandemic difficulties? | No, I did not ask for help | Females | 158 (32.58%) | 25.34 (1, 894) | <0.001 |
Males | 79 (50.97%) | ||||
Yes, I did from colleagues | Females | 137 (28.25%) | 7.22 (1, 894) | =0.007 | |
Males | 21 (13.55%) | ||||
11. Did you feel professionally prepared to deal with the pandemic emergency? | Yes, I did because I know how to intervene in critical situations because of my long professional experience | Females | 54 (11.13%) | 12.93 (1, 737) | <0.001 |
Males | 38 (25%) | ||||
Despite my long professional experience, I was not prepared to face a such severe condition | Females | 277 (57.11%) | 11.80 (1, 737) | <0.001 | |
Males | 68 (43.87%) | ||||
I felt prepared, but not supported by the organization | Females | 8 (12%) | 9.7 (1, 737) | =0.002 | |
Males | 38 (25%) | ||||
10. Did you change working area during the pandemic? | No, I didn’t | Non frontliners | 352 (67.30%) | 19.60 (1, 652) | <0.001 |
Frontliners | 46 (48.94%) | ||||
11. Did you feel professionally prepared to deal with the pandemic emergency? | I felt prepared, but not supported by the organization | Non frontliners | 65 (12.43%) | 10.08 (1, 652) | =0.001 |
Frontliners | 27 (28.72%) | ||||
12. Did you perceive an increased psychophysical distress? | No, I didn’t | Non frontliners | 150 (26.68%) | 7.46 (1, 1008) | =0.006 |
Frontliners | 16 (17.02%) | ||||
Yes, I did because of the heavy workload | Non frontliners | 141 (27%) | 5.37 (1, 1008) | =0.02 | |
Frontliners | 43 (45.74%) | ||||
2. How do you cope with the pandemic difficulties? | Keeping myself informed | 20–29 y | 13 (34.21%) | 11 (4, 1110) | =0.03 |
30–39 y | 42 (38.53%) | ||||
40–49 y | 75 (50%) | ||||
50–59 y | 142 (54.41%) | ||||
60–70 y | 48 (58.54%) | ||||
3. Did you have the opportunity to ask for help for the pandemic difficulties? | No, I did not ask for help | 20–29 y | 4 (10.53%) | 36.77 (4, 894) | <0.001 |
30–39 y | 36 (33.03%) | ||||
40–49 y | 50 (33.33%) | ||||
50–59 y | 103 (39.46%) | ||||
60–70 y | 44 (53.66%) | ||||
Yes, I did from friends | 20–29 y | 17 (44.74%) | 23.68 (4, 894) | <0.001 | |
30–39 y | 28 (25.69%) | ||||
40–49 y | 36 (24%) | ||||
50–59 y | 35 (13.41%) | ||||
60–70 y | 7 (8.54%) | ||||
7. What did you perceive relevant for your personal wellbeing during restrictions? | Spending my time in family | 20–29 y | 7 (18.42%) | 9.99 (4, 1382) | =0.04 |
30–39 y | 53 (48.62%) | ||||
40–49 y | 75 (50%) | ||||
50–59 y | 105 (44.44%) | ||||
60–70 y | 26 (31.70%) | ||||
11. Did you feel professionally prepared to deal with the pandemic emergency? | No, I didn’t because it’s my first professional experience | 20–29 y | 13 (34.21%) | 54.45 (4, 737) | <0.001 |
30–39 y | 6 (5.50%) | ||||
40–49 y | 6 (4%) | ||||
50–59 y | 10 (3.83%) | ||||
60–70 y | 2 (2.44%) | ||||
12. Did you perceive an increased psychophysical distress? | No, I don’t | 20–29 y | 3 (7.89%) | 44.54 (1, 1054) | <0.001 |
30–39 y | 18 (16.51%) | ||||
40–49 y | 32 (21.33%) | ||||
50–59 y | 86 (32.95%) | ||||
60–70 y | 31 (37.80%) |
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Vicentini, S.; Mercurio, A.; Romascu, C.; Battaglia, M.; Tribbia, N.; Siviero, F.; Grossi, A.; Martucci, M.M.; De Leo, D. Critical Issues of Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Italian Healthcare Workers’ Experience. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 927. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020927
Vicentini S, Mercurio A, Romascu C, Battaglia M, Tribbia N, Siviero F, Grossi A, Martucci MM, De Leo D. Critical Issues of Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Italian Healthcare Workers’ Experience. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(2):927. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020927
Chicago/Turabian StyleVicentini, Silvia, Arianna Mercurio, Carolina Romascu, Martina Battaglia, Noemi Tribbia, Francesca Siviero, Antonello Grossi, Maria Maddalena Martucci, and Diego De Leo. 2022. "Critical Issues of Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Italian Healthcare Workers’ Experience" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 2: 927. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020927
APA StyleVicentini, S., Mercurio, A., Romascu, C., Battaglia, M., Tribbia, N., Siviero, F., Grossi, A., Martucci, M. M., & De Leo, D. (2022). Critical Issues of Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Italian Healthcare Workers’ Experience. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(2), 927. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020927