Prevalence of post-traumatic symptomatology and anxiety among residential nursing and care home workers following the first COVID-19 outbreak in Northern Italy

Marianna Riello; Marianna Purgato; Chiara Bove; David MacTaggart; Elena Rusconi

doi:10.1098/rsos.200880

journal article Open Access Sep 01, 2020

Prevalence of post-traumatic symptomatology and anxiety among residential nursing and care home workers following the first COVID-19 outbreak in Northern Italy

Marianna Riello Marianna Purgato

Chiara Bove David MacTaggart Elena Rusconi

Royal Society Open Science Vol. 7 No. 9 · The Royal Society

View at Publisher Save 10.1098/rsos.200880

Abstract

The current COVID-19 pandemic has been officially linked to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across the globe in just a few months. It is particularly lethal for the elderly in general, as well as for populations residing in long-term stay facilities. By this time, those working and caring for high-risk populations have been exposed to very intense and sudden levels of physical and psychological strain. The situation has taken a particularly tragic turn in residential nursing and care homes (NCH), which were hit hard by the pandemic. In residential NCH, neither residents nor workers tend to have immediate access to the same expertise, medication and equipment as in hospitals, which exacerbates an already tense situation. Among the mental health conditions related to exposure to potentially traumatic events, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety are the most prevalent and scientifically recognized. In this survey-based epidemiological study, we test the prevalence of anxiety and post-traumatic symptomatology in residential nursing and care home workers—a group of individuals that has been largely neglected but who nonetheless plays a very important and sensitive role in our society. We do this by focusing on the North of Italy, the most affected region during the first COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. Using a single-stage cluster design, our study returns an estimate for the prevalence of moderate-to-severe anxiety and/or post-traumatic symptomatology of 43% (s.e. = 3.09; 95% CI [37–49]), with an 18% (s.e. = 1.83; 95% CI [14–22]) prevalence of comorbidity among workers of Northern Italian NCH between 15 June and 25 July 2020 (i.e. 12–52 days after the end of national lockdown). Women and workers who had recently been in contact with COVID-19-positive patients/colleagues are more likely to report moderate-to-severe symptoms, with odds ratios of 2.2 and 1.7, respectively.

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Details

Published: Sep 01, 2020
Vol/Issue: 7(9)
License: View

Authors

M

Marianna Riello

Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini, 31, 38068 Rovereto (TN), Italy; Gruppo SPES, Trento, Italy

M

Marianna Purgato

Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy

C

Chiara Bove

Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini, 31, 38068 Rovereto (TN), Italy

D

David MacTaggart

School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

E

Elena Rusconi

Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini, 31, 38068 Rovereto (TN), Italy

Cite This Article

Marianna Riello, Marianna Purgato, Chiara Bove, et al. (2020). Prevalence of post-traumatic symptomatology and anxiety among residential nursing and care home workers following the first COVID-19 outbreak in Northern Italy. Royal Society Open Science, 7(9). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.200880

Prevalence of post-traumatic symptomatology and anxiety among residential nursing and care home workers following the first COVID-19 outbreak in Northern Italy

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