Satisfied as professionals, but also exhausted and worried!!: The role of job demands, resources and emotional experiences of Spanish nursing home workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nursing home workers have been exposed to great physical and mental burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although this has generated high levels of exhaustion, it may also have contributed to feelings of professional satisfaction. The objective of this study was to explore the levels of satisfaction among nursing home workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the role of job demands, resources and emotional experiences in explaining their levels of satisfaction. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Spain between March and May 2020. Three hundred and thirty-five nursing home workers participated. A quantitative analysis was conducted, as was a content analysis of the responses to an open-ended question about the respondents' perceptions of job demands and resources during the crisis. The results showed that workers had very high levels of satisfaction. Social pressure from work, contact with death and suffering, and emotional exhaustion were negatively associated with satisfaction. Moreover, under conditions of extensive contact with suffering people and great fear of contagion, social support at work was shown to promote professional satisfaction. In conclusion, nursing home workers in Spain experienced high rates of satisfaction during the COVID-19 crisis despite the high job demands, lack of job resources, fear of contagion and exhaustion. The main practical implication of this study is the importance of ensuring optimal working conditions in the nursing home sector in order to guarantee professional satisfaction, prevent burnout, reduce turnover and promote post-crisis resilience.

The Role of Healthcare Professionals' Passion in Predicting Secondary Traumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth in the Face of COVID-19: A Longitudinal Approach.

COVID-19 has increased the likelihood of healthcare professionals suffering from Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). However, the difficulty of this crisis may lead these professionals to display personal resources, such as harmonious passion, that could be involved in posttraumatic growth. The goal of this study is to examine the STS and posttraumatic growth among healthcare professionals and the demands and resources related to COVID-19. A longitudinal study was carried out in April 2020 (T1) and December 2020 (T2). The participants were 172 health professionals from different health institutions and they reported their workload, fear of contagion, lack of staff and personal protection equipment (PPE), harmonious passion, STS and posttraumatic growth. The results revealed that workload and fear of contagion in T2 were positive predictors for STS, whereas harmonious passion was a negative predictor. Fear of contagion of both times seemed to positively predict posttraumatic growth, as well as harmonious passion. One moderation effect was found concerning the lack of staff/PPE, as posttraumatic growth was higher when the workload was high, especially in those with a high lack of staff/PPE. All in all, these findings pointed out the need for preventative measures to protect these professionals from long-term negative consequences.

The Job Demands and Resources Related to COVID-19 in Predicting Emotional Exhaustion and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Health Professionals in Spain.

The current COVID-19 crisis may have an impact on the mental health of professionals working on the frontline, especially healthcare workers due to the increase of occupational psychosocial risks, such as emotional exhaustion and secondary traumatic stress (STS). This study explored job demands and resources during the COVID-19 crisis in predicting emotional exhaustion and STS among health professionals. The present study is a descriptive and correlational cross-sectional design, conducted in different hospitals and health centers in Spain. The sample consisted of 221 health professionals with direct involvement in treating COVID-19. An online survey was created and distributed nationwide from March 20 to April 15 which assessed: sociodemographic and occupational data, fear of contagion, contact with death/suffering, lack of material and human protection resources (MHRP), challenge, emotional exhaustion, and STS. Descriptive findings show high levels of workload, contact with death/suffering, lack of MHPR and challenge, and are moderately high for fear of contagion, emotional exhaustion, and STS. We found an indirect significant effect of lack of MHPR on predicting (1) emotional exhaustion through the workload and (2) on STS through fear of contagion, contact with death/suffering, and workload. To conclude, this study examines the immediate consequences of the crisis on health professionals' well-being in Spain, emphasizing the job demands related to COVID-19 that health professionals are facing, and the resources available in these health contexts. These findings may boost follow-up of this crisis among health professionals to prevent them from long-term consequences.

Stressors, Job Resources, Fear of Contagion, and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Nursing Home Workers in Face of the COVID-19: The Case of Spain.

This study aimed to analyze the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing home workers, as well as the influence of certain related stressors and job resources. Two-hundred twenty-eight nursing home workers in Spain participated in this cross-sectional study. High levels of workload, social pressure from work, contact with suffering, and fear of contagion were found. In nursing homes where cases of COVID-19 had been detected, workers experienced higher levels of secondary traumatic stress. Social pressure from work, high doses of exposure to suffering, lack of personnel and personal protective equipment, and minimal supervisor support were significant in explaining traumatic stress. Supervisor and coworker support moderated some of these relationships. The results are discussed in terms of the need to implement urgent psychosocial protection strategies and to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to help prevent future psychological disorders in this worker population.