Mental Health among Geriatric Healthcare Workers in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from a National Survey

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers (HCWs) in geriatric settings.

Design: Online cross-sectional survey.

Settings and participants: 394 geriatric HCWs in Italy.

Measurements: The survey was developed by a multidisciplinary team and disseminated in April 2022 to the members of two geriatric scientific societies (Italian Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology and Italian Association of Psychogeriatrics). The survey examined the experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as psychological burden and support. Work-related anxiety and distress related to the pandemic were studied using the SAVE-9 scale (Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics).

Results: Three hundred sixty-four participants (92.4%) changed their job activity during the pandemic and about half (50.9%) failed to cope with this change, 58 (14.7%) had increased work-related anxiety, and 39 (9.9%) work-related stress levels. Three hundred forty (86.3%) participants reported acute stress reaction symptoms, including irritability, depressed mood, headache, anxiety, and insomnia, and 262 (66.5%) required psychological support, mainly from friends/relatives (57.9%) and/or colleagues (32.5%). Furthermore, 342 participants (86.8%) recognized they would benefit from informal and formal psychological support in case of future similar emergencies.

Conclusions: This study highlights the high psychological burden experienced by geriatric HCWs in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizes the need for supportive interventions.

Keywords: COVID-19; Geriatric setting; healthcare workers; mental health; psychological profile.