ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented stressor for frontline healthcare workers, notably increasing acute stress disorder and depression rates. Emotion regulation and social support could be major protective factors against such psychopathological states, but their role has not been explored outside Western contexts. Objective: To assess the association between emotion regulation, social support, acute stress disorder, and depression among healthcare workers directly confronted with the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Method: A cross-sectional study assessed acute stress disorder, depression, adaptive (i.e. acceptance, positive refocusing, …) and maladaptive (i.e. self-blame, rumination, catastrophizing, …) emotion regulation strategies, social support (instrumental, emotional, and informational levels), as well as self-reported situations and feelings related to COVID-19, in a population of 252 frontline healthcare workers (121 women;131 men;mean age: 39 ± 11 years old) at the Referral General Hospital of Bukavu. We also explored the relations between these variables through bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Forty percent of participants presented symptoms of depression, and 16% presented acute stress disorder. In bivariate logistic regression, these psychiatric outcomes were associated with the availability of a COVID-19 protection kit [OR = 0.24 (0.12–0.98)], hostility toward health workers [OR = 3.21 (1.23–4.21)], putting into perspective [OR = 0.91 (0.43–0.98)], self-blame [OR = 1.44 (1.11–2.39)], catastrophizing [OR = 1.85 (1.01–4.28)], blaming others [OR = 1.77 (1.04–3.32)], emotional support [OR = 0.83 (0.49–0.98)], instrumental support [OR = 0.74 (0.28–0.94)], and informational support [OR = 0.73 (0.43–0.98)]. In multivariate logistic regression, hostility [OR = 2.21 (1.54–3.78)], self-blame [OR = 1.57 (1.02-2.11)], rumination [OR = 1.49 (1.11-3.13)] and emotional support [OR = 0.94 (0.65-0.98)] remained significantly associated with psychiatric outcomes. Conclusion: Depression and acute stress disorder were highly prevalent among Congolese healthcare workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 health pandemic. Hostility, self-blame, rumination, and social support were associated with depression and/or acute stress disorder and should be targeted by interventions aiming to support health workers’ wellbeing. HIGHLIGHTS Frontline health workers presented high prevalence of acute stress disorder (16%) and depression (40%) during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as they were working in hostile environment without enough protection kits. Acute stress disorder and depression were negatively associated with adaptive emotion regulation and social support;and positively with maladaptive emotion regulation. Intervention aiming to support health workers in pandemics should target emotion regulation and social support.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented stressor for frontline healthcare workers, notably increasing acute stress disorder and depression rates. Emotion regulation and social support could be major protective factors against such psychopathological states, but their role has not been explored outside Western contexts. Objective: To assess the association between emotion regulation, social support, acute stress disorder, and depression among healthcare workers directly confronted with the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Method: A cross-sectional study assessed acute stress disorder, depression, adaptive (i.e. acceptance, positive refocusing, ) and maladaptive (i.e. self-blame, rumination, catastrophizing, ) emotion regulation strategies, social support (instrumental, emotional, and informational levels), as well as self-reported situations and feelings related to COVID-19, in a population of 252 frontline healthcare workers (121 women; 131 men; mean age: 39 ± 11 years old) at the Referral General Hospital of Bukavu. We also explored the relations between these variables through bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Forty percent of participants presented symptoms of depression, and 16% presented acute stress disorder. In bivariate logistic regression, these psychiatric outcomes were associated with the availability of a COVID-19 protection kit [OR = 0.24 (0.12-0.98)], hostility toward health workers [OR = 3.21 (1.23-4.21)], putting into perspective [OR = 0.91 (0.43-0.98)], self-blame [OR = 1.44 (1.11-2.39)], catastrophizing [OR = 1.85 (1.01-4.28)], blaming others [OR = 1.77 (1.04-3.32)], emotional support [OR = 0.83 (0.49-0.98)], instrumental support [OR = 0.74 (0.28-0.94)], and informational support [OR = 0.73 (0.43-0.98)]. In multivariate logistic regression, hostility [OR = 2.21 (1.54-3.78)], self-blame [OR = 1.57 (1.02-2.11)], rumination [OR = 1.49 (1.11-3.13)] and emotional support [OR = 0.94 (0.65-0.98)] remained significantly associated with psychiatric outcomes. Conclusion: Depression and acute stress disorder were highly prevalent among Congolese healthcare workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 health pandemic. Hostility, self-blame, rumination, and social support were associated with depression and/or acute stress disorder and should be targeted by interventions aiming to support health workers' wellbeing. HIGHLIGHTS: Frontline health workers presented high prevalence of acute stress disorder (16%) and depression (40%) during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as they were working in hostile environment without enough protection kits.Acute stress disorder and depression were negatively associated with adaptive emotion regulation and social support; and positively with maladaptive emotion regulation.Intervention aiming to support health workers in pandemics should target emotion regulation and social support.
Antecedentes: La pandemia de COVID-19 es un factor estresante sin precedentes para los trabajadores de atención médica de primera línea, que aumenta notablemente las tasas de trastorno por estrés agudo y depresión. La regulación de las emociones y el apoyo social podrían ser factores protectores importantes contra tales estados psicopatológicos, pero su papel no ha sido explorado fuera de los contextos occidentales.Objetivo: Evaluar la asociación entre la regulación de las emociones, el apoyo social, el trastorno de estrés agudo y la depresión entre los trabajadores de la salud que confrontaron directamente la primera ola de la pandemia de COVID-19 en el este de la República Democrática del Congo.Método: Un estudio transversal evaluó el trastorno de estrés agudo, la depresión, estrategias de regulación emocional adaptativas (es decir, aceptación, refocalización positiva, ) y desadaptativas (es decir, autoculpabilización, rumiación, catastrofización, ), apoyo social (niveles instrumental, emocional, e informacional), así como situaciones y sentimientos autoinformados relacionados con el COVID-19, en una población de 252 trabajadores de salud de primera línea (121 mujeres; 131 hombres; edad media: 39 ± 11 años) en el Hospital General de Referencia de Bukavu. También exploramos las relaciones entre estas variables mediante regresión logística bivariada y multivariada.Resultados: Cuarenta por ciento de los participantes presentó síntomas de depresión y el dieciséis por ciento presentó trastorno de estrés agudo. En regresión logística bivariada, estos resultados psiquiátricos se asociaron con la disponibilidad de un kit de protección COVID-19 [OR = 0.24 (0.120.98)], hostilidad hacia los trabajadores de la salud [OR = 3.21 (1.234.21)], postura en perspectiva [ OR = 0.91 (0.430.98)], autoculpabilización [OR = 1.44 (1.112.39)], catastrofización [OR = 1.85 (1.014.28)], heteroculpabilización [OR = 1.77 (1.043.32)], apoyo emocional [OR = 0.83 (0.490.98)], apoyo instrumental [OR = 0.74 (0.280.94)] y apoyo informativo [OR = 0.73 (0.430.98)]. En la regresión logística multivariada, hostilidad [OR = 2.21 (1.543.78)], autoculpabilización [OR = 1.57 (1.022.11)], rumiación [OR = 1.49 (1.113.13)] y apoyo emocional [OR = 0.94 (0.650.98)] permanecieron significativamente asociados con los resultados psiquiátricos.Conclusión: La depresión y el trastorno de estrés agudo fueron muy frecuentes entre los trabajadores de la salud congoleños durante la primera ola de la pandemia sanitaria de COVID-19. La hostilidad, la autoculpabilización, la rumiación y el apoyo social se asociaron con depresión y/o trastorno de estrés agudo y deberían ser el objetivo de las intervenciones destinadas a apoyar el bienestar de los trabajadores de la salud.