COVID-19 and staff mental health: is there an evidence? An Italian field study

Since the early months of the COVID-19 epidemic, a large\r\nnumber of scientific papers have considered the possibility that\r\nhealthcare professionals (HCWs) were affected by depression,\r\nanxiety, post-traumatic stress, and psychological distress. The\r\nabundance of research has also made it possible to produce\r\nseveral systematic reviews and meta-analyzes. All the studies\r\nretrieved in these reviews, however, were cross-sectional.\r\nDepressive symptoms and anxiety in HCWs were compared to\r\n‘‘normal values’’, administrative staff, or external sample; moreover, some studies had no control group. No longitudinal study\r\nhas been produced so far. Some studies had negative results.\r\nOverall, there is still little evidence of an increase in mental health\r\nproblems and sleep disturbances in HCWs during the outbreak.\r\nTo fill this gap, we investigated the mental health of workers\r\nwho have been monitored for many years in an Italian local\r\nhealth unit. Mental health was investigated with standardized\r\nquestionnaires. 82 HCWs who tested positive at the COVID-19\r\nnasopharyngeal swab, 152 exposed workers who tested\r\nnegative and 361 unexposed controls participated in the\r\nsurvey. Anxiety was reported by 16.6% of COVID-19 cases and\r\ndepression by 20.3%, with a significant increase in the\r\nestimated risk (OR = 4.3; CI95%=2.4-7.4 for anxiety,\r\nOR = 3.5; CI95% =2.0-6.0 for depression). In test-positive\r\ncases, sleep was a significant moderating factor in the\r\nrelationship between occupational stress or PJ and anxiety.\r\nExposed, negative HCWS also had an increased OR for anxiety\r\n(1.84, CI95% 1.1-3.1) and depression (2.2 CI95% 1.4-3.5).\r\nThe frequency of anxiety and depression disorders in the\r\npopulation examined was not higher than that recorded in the\r\nyears preceding the epidemic during periodic occupational\r\nhealth checks in the workplace. Mental health support and\r\norganizational interventions must mainly concern workers\r\nwith positive tests and should also tend to improve sleep\r\nquality