Psychological distress among hospital caregivers during and after the first wave of COVID-19: Individual factors involved in the severity of symptoms expression

Coronavirus disease 2019 has spread rapidly over the globe and has put an unprecedent psychological pressure on health care workers (HCWs). The present study aimed at quantifying the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on HCWs during and after the first wave and identify sociodemographic, situational, and psychological risk/protective factors for symptoms severity. An online survey was sent by e-mail to all nurses and physicians employed by a teaching hospital in Brussels, Belgium. 542 (20,62%) completed the survey. 47%, 55%, 32% and 52% of participants reported posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia symptoms, respectively, during the peak. Two to three months later, posttraumatic symptoms emerged de novo in 54% of HCWs. It persisted in 89% of those presenting severe symptoms initially. Neuroticism was the strongest predictor of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Work overload was the strongest predictor of depression and second predictor of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and insomnia. Other significant predictors included being a nurse, the number of past traumatic experiences, avoidant coping style, and expressive suppression of emotion

SITUATIONAL AND PERSONAL PREDICTORS OF MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG HEALTH CARE WORKERS DURING COVID-19: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NURSES AND PHYSICIANS

Background: Caregivers have been exposed to important stresses during the COVID-19 pandemic leading to important mental health issues. Previous researches showed that nurses were particularly emotionally affected compared to physicians. Aims: To study the differences in psychological symptoms between nurses and physicians during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as three months later and to compare the predictors of these symptoms between both professions. Method: An online survey was sent to all nurses and physicians employed by a university hospital in Belgium. It assessed symp- toms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia induced by the COVID-19 experienced during the peak and at the moment of assessment (3 months after the peak). Sociodemographic and work-related characteristics as well as psychological factors, i.e., emotion regulation habits, coping strategies and personality traits were also evaluated as potential predictors of psychological symptoms. Results: Nurses reported more pronounced psychological symptoms associated to the COVID situation compared to physicians. In nurses, the strongest predictor of psychological symptoms was the level of neuroticism while in physicians it was the work overload. Conclusions: Our study provided essential information which may allow to better orient interventions according to the difficul- ties and specificities presented by each occupation

Que serait un dispositif hospitalier adéquat au soutien de la transition chez les patients alcooliques ? :

Partant des nombreux ponts possibles entre une clinique de la transition adolescentaire et les impasses des personnes dépendantes à l’alcool, nous avons mis en avant la difficulté pour ces personnes de vivre les divers moments de transition en dehors d’un vécu de rupture et de fragilisation identitaire. Toute séparation ramène à une perte réelle de l’autre et, en miroir, de soi. Comment un cadre thérapeutique peut tenter de soutenir un certain travail autour de ces « passages » ? Pour ce faire, nous avons exploré le concept de transitionnalité, de préoccupation maternelle primaire, d’accrochage à un objet réel de dépendance afin d’aboutir sur les processus de séparation et d’individuation. Nous évoquons comment les différentes étapes et approches spécifiques d’un dispositif peuvent être autant d’occasions d’éprouver ces enjeux. La reprise dans les espaces de soin, de parole et de lien à l’autre réhumanisant (soignants et non-soignants) devrait rendre possible une transformation du patient lui permettant de renouer avec ses parts « capables », ouvrant la porte à d’autres investissements du côté d’une liberté nouvelle.[What would a successful hospital alcohol dependency program for patients in transition look like ?] Taking as a starting point the many possible connections between a teenage transition clinic and the roadblocks encountered in alcohol dependency, we stress the difficulty for anyone going through multiple moments of transition outside of the experience of fragile identity and breakdown. Each separation is a real loss of the other, and a part of oneself. How does a therapeutic framework attempt to work around these episodes? In an attempt to answer this question, we have explored the concepts of transitionality and primary maternal preoccupation, of transitional attachment, in order to get to grips with the processes of separation and individuation. We discuss how the different stages and specific approaches of a program can provide an opportunity to appreciate these challenges. Reestablishing speech and connecting to the other in caring spaces rehumanizes health professionals and nonhealth professionals alike, and should encourage patients to make changes enabling them to rediscover their inner strengths, also paving the way for them to reclaim their freedom. © 2021 Boeck Universite. All rights reserved