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. 2023 Jan 12;20(2):1433.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20021433.

Factors Associated with Insomnia and Aggression among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic

Anna Maria Cybulska  1 , Agnieszka Weymann  2 , Kamila Rachubińska  1 , Szymon Grochans  3 , Grzegorz Wójcik  1 , Elżbieta Grochans  1
Affiliations

Factors Associated with Insomnia and Aggression among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic

Anna Maria Cybulska et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

(1) Healthcare workers are exposed to increased risks of insomnia and aggression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study was to assess insomnia, sleep disturbances, and aggression and identify the associated risk factors among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) A total of 264 healthcare workers participated in the study. The study was conducted with the diagnostic survey method, using the Buss−Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and a self-administered questionnaire. (3) The vast majority of the respondents (81.06%) suffered from insomnia and had poor sleep quality (78.03%). Education (p = 0.038), marital status (p = 0.043), and working with patients suffering from COVID-19 (p = 0.024) were statistically significant contributors to insomnia. Age was found to significantly correlate with total aggression (r = −0.133 p = 0.031), verbal aggression (r = −0.138 p = 0.025), and anger (r = −0.151 p = 0.014). The analysis demonstrated statistically significant relationships between gender and physical aggression (p = 0.017), anger (p = 0.032), and hostility (p = 0.002). A statistically significant positive correlation between the quality of sleep as per the PSQI and all subscales of the BPAQ was found (p < 0.001). (4) A considerable proportion of HCWs experienced sleep disturbances during the outbreak, stressing the need to establish ways to reduce long-term adverse outcomes associated with chronic insomnia and mental health problems and adjust interventions under pandemic conditions.

Keywords: COVID-19; aggression; healthcare workers; insomnia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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