4. DISCUSSION
The present results showed that healthcare professionals who work in
COVID-19 wards reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and PTSS
than those who work in other healthcare units. These findings are very
understandable in view of the fact that healthcare workers involved in
the frontline of COVID-19 are in a daily struggle to keep the patients
alive. Furthermore, medical health workers constantly find themselves
exposed to highly risky situations, which can make them feel unsafe at
work. The relentless spread of the virus, the lack of sufficient rest,
the permanent threat of being infected, the workload, the shortage of
medical protective equipment, and frequent isolation from family are all
factors that can contribute to the high risk of acute mental health
conditions in healthcare workers in the long term.4-6In particular, the prolonged exposure to traumatic events, such as the
death of patients and colleagues, may lead to the development of severe
anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as PTSS.2, 3
Possible predisposing factors for the mental health symptoms observed in
healthcare professionals working in COVID-19 wards were found to be
being female and not in a relationship for depressive symptoms and being
female and older for PTSS.
With regard to gender differences, our findings are in line with
previous studies2, 3 that showed a higher prevalence
of PTSS in women than men, in both general population and healthcare
workers. Regarding age differences, the available evidence is still
controversial and, in some cases, no differences3 or
opposite results have been obtained2. For instance, in
contrast to our data, the study of Tang et al.2 showed
that the healthcare workers aged between 20 and 30 years obtained the
highest PTSS scores during a previous pandemic. Conversely, Liu et
al.3 found that in the general population, the
youngest reported the lowest level of PTSS, but age did not represent a
predictive factor for developing PTSS during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Furthermore, it is well known that women are more vulnerable to
developing depressive symptoms7, 8 and that adequate
social support provided by partners or spouses represents a protective
factor for the psychological well-being.9, 10
Taken together, our findings suggest that healthcare professionals
involved in COVID-19 management display high levels of both depressive
symptoms and PTSS. Moreover, specific predisposing factors seem to
characterise those healthcare worker members who are at high risk of
developing depressive symptoms and PTSS when faced with COVID-19
patients.
During the extraordinary events associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,
it is essential to take on healthcare workers’ needs, providing timely
psychosocial and mental health support, particularly for those groups
identified at risk. Indeed, healthcare professionals expect to be
welcomed, listened to, supported, and protected by their
organisations.1