Violence Against Physicians in the Workplace: Trends, Causes, Consequences, and Strategies for Intervention.

PURPOSE: Violence against healthcare professionals has become an emergency in many countries. Literature in this area has mainly focused on nurses while there are less studies on physicians, whose alterations in mental health and burnout have been linked to higher rates of medical errors and poorer quality of care. We summarized peer-reviewed literature and examined the epidemiology, main causes, consequences, and areas of intervention associated with workplace violence perpetrated against physicians. RECENT FINDINGS: We performed a review utilizing several databases, by including the most relevant studies in full journal articles investigating the problem. Workplace violence against doctors is a widespread phenomenon, present all over the world and related to a number of variables, including individual, socio-cultural, and contextual variables. During the COVID-19 pandemic, incidence of violence has increased. Data also show the possible consequences in physicians' deterioration of quality of life, burnout, and traumatic stress which are linked to physical and mental health problems, which, in a domino effect, fall on patients' quality of care. Violence against doctors is an urgent global problem with consequences on an individual and societal level. This review highlights the need to undertake initiatives aimed at enhancing understanding, prevention, and management of workplace violence in healthcare settings.

Exercise program for the management of anxiety and depression in adults and elderly subjects: Is it applicable to patients with post-covid-19 condition? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic had dramatic effect on mental health, causing long-term psychiatricmorbidity. At present, there are no randomized trials reporting the effect of physical exercise on individuals with post- Covid-19 condition are available. The aim of this review was to summarize the evidence regarding the evidence on exercise as a treatment for anxiety and depression symptoms secondary to chronic diseases, which may be generalized to individuals suffering from the post- Covid-19 condition. Trials were included if they reported the effects of physical exercise programs on anxiety or depression symptoms in adults, either healthy or affected by chronic diseases. Outcomes were changes of anxiety or depression severity after an exercise-based intervention. Of the 2161 RCTs identified, eight out of 15 studies were included. Exercise was associated with greater improvements of depressive (SMD = -0.169; 95 % CI -0.302 at -0.003; p = 0.013) and anxiety symptoms (SMD = -0.263, 95 % CI -0.418 at -0.109; p = 0.001), compared with control interventions. Supervised exercise programs were effective against symptoms of anxiety or depression among individuals with chronich illnesses. Pending specific clinical trials, exercise may be considered for adoption among patients with the post Covid-19 condition.

Loneliness in Young Adults During the First Wave of COVID-19 Lockdown: Results From the Multicentric COMET Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental and physical health of the general population at any age, but it is expected to have a protracted and severe consequences for younger populations. The pandemic has had several consequences on mental health including anger and irritability, depressive symptoms and somatic complaints, insomnia, lack of motivation, and loneliness. In particular, loneliness and its related negative feelings are thought to be particularly pronounced during young adulthood because of the many social changes that young people deal with during this period of life. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the type of impact of the pandemic on the mental health of young people and their levels of loneliness experienced during the first phase of the lockdown. Based on the largest Italian study on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of general population, in this paper we aim to: (1) describe the levels of loneliness in a national sample of Italian young adults aged 18-34 years, during the first wave of lockdown in 2020; (2) evaluate the clinical and socio-demographic differences in young adults reporting low vs. high levels of loneliness; (3) assess the role of clinical symptomatology, coping strategies, levels of resilience, and duration of lockdown as possible predictors of loneliness. The final sample consists of 8,584 people, mainly female (72.6%), single, with a mean age of 26.4 (±4.4) years. The mean score at the UCLA was 47.5 (±13.6), with 27% (N = 2,311) of respondents exceeding the cut-off for high levels of loneliness. High levels of loneliness were predicted by the presence of avoidant coping strategies, such as self-distraction (Beta coefficient, B = 0.369, 95% Confidence Interval, CI = 0.328-0.411), venting (B = 0.245, 95% CI = 0.197-0.293), denial (B = 0.110, 95% CI = 0.061-0.159), and emotional disengagement (B = 0.133, 95% CI = 0.080-0.185). Weeks of exposure to the pandemic were significantly associated with worsening of loneliness (p < 0.000). There is currently considerable interest in trying to reduce loneliness, both within the context of COVID-19 and more generally. Our results highlight that young people are at a higher risk of developing loneliness and suggest that more interventions and practical guidelines are needed.