Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2022 May 7;19(9):5715.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19095715.

Assessment of Acceptability and Initial Effectiveness of a Unified Protocol Prevention Program to Train Emotional Regulation Skills in Female Nursing Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vanesa Ferreres-Galán  1   2 , María Vicenta Navarro-Haro  2   3 , Óscar Peris-Baquero  2   3 , Silvia Guillén-Marín  3 , Jordi de Luna-Hermoso  1 , Jorge Osma  2   3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Assessment of Acceptability and Initial Effectiveness of a Unified Protocol Prevention Program to Train Emotional Regulation Skills in Female Nursing Professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vanesa Ferreres-Galán et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Healthcare professionals, especially women, have shown increases in anxious-depressive symptoms as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of a Unified Protocol (UP) prevention program to provide emotional regulation skills to cope with stressful situations. The sample consisted of 27 nursing professionals (100% women; mean age: 45.67; SD = 7.71) working in a Spanish public hospital during COVID-19, who were randomized to an immediate treatment group (ITG, n = 13) or to a delayed treatment group (DTG, n = 14, which served as the waiting list control group and received the program 5 weeks after the ITG had received it). The program consisted of five-weekly, two-hour, UP-based group sessions. Variables related to emotional symptomatology, emotional regulation, personality, burnout, and perceived quality of life were evaluated at the following time points: pre- and post-intervention and at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-ups. Statistically significant between-group differences showed lower emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment in favor of the ITG after the intervention. Regarding the effect over time for all participants who received the UP (n = 27), statistically significant reductions were observed in neuroticism, personal accomplishment, and subjective distress caused by traumatic events (-0.23 ≤ d ≤ -0.73). A statistically significant interaction "Time*Condition" was found in anxiety, with increases in the DTG. Participants showed high satisfaction with the UP. These findings show good acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of the UP to reduce the emotional impact of the pandemic in female nursing workers.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; emotion regulation skills; nursing professionals; prevention; unified protocol.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT diagram illustrating participant flow in the study. Note: ITG: Immediate treatment group; DTG: Delayed treatment group; T0: Pre-treatment; T1: Immediate treatment group post-treatment; T2: Delayed treatment group post-treatment; T3: 1-month follow-up; T4: 3-month follow-up; T5: 6-month follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Vindegaard N., Benros M.E. COVID-19 pandemic and mental health consequences: Systematic review of the current evidence. Brain Behav. Immun. 2020;89:531–542. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.048. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vieta E., Pérez V., Arango C. Psychiatry in the aftermath of COVID-19. Rev. Psiquiatr. Salud Ment. (Engl. Ed.) 2020;13:105–110. doi: 10.1016/j.rpsm.2020.04.004. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brooks S.K., Webster R.K., Smith L.E., Woodland L., Wessely S., Greenberg N., Rubin G.J. The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. Lancet. 2020;395:912–920. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nguyen L.H., Drew D.A., Graham M.S., Joshi A.D., Guo C.-G., Ma W., Mehta R.S., Warner E.T., Sikavi D.R., Lo C.-H. Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: A prospective cohort study. Lancet Public Health. 2020;5:e475–e483. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30164-X. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Li Z., Ge J., Yang M., Feng J., Qiao M., Jiang R., Bi J., Zhan G., Xu X., Wang L. Vicarious traumatization in the general public, members, and non-members of medical teams aiding in COVID-19 control. Brain Behav. Immun. 2020;88:916–919. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.03.007. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types