Post-traumatic stress symptoms and benefit finding: a longitudinal study among Italian health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: Research has highlighted that the exposure of healthcare professionals to the COVID-19 pandemic for over two years can lead to the development and persistence of symptoms characteristic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with serious consequences on both the individual well-being and the quality of care provided. The present study was aimed at investigating the role of benefit finding in moderating post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over time. METHODS: The longitudinal study, conducted between April and October 2020, involved 226 Italian health workers (44.7% nurses and midwives, 35% doctors, 20.3% technical and rehabilitation professionals), who filled out an online survey at the beginning of the study (T1), after three months (T2), and after six months (T3). Participants (77.4% women; mean age = 41.93, SD = 12.06) completed the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and Benefit Finding, a 17-item questionnaire measuring the perceived level of positive consequences derived from stressful experiences. A hierarchical regression analysis highlighted the moderating effect of benefit finding (T2) on the association between PTSS values at T1 and T3. RESULTS: A buffering effect was observed, with higher benefit finding levels reducing the magnitude of the bivariate association between PTSS assessed at the beginning and at the end of the study. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest the potential mental health related benefits of interventions allowing health professionals to identify positive aspects in the experience of working under prolonged emergency circumstances, such as the pandemic ones.

Technology as a daily resource for Italian college students during the lockdown period. A qualitative study

The restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged human daily activities and habits worldwide. In this novel scenario, technology proved to be a resource for individuals and communities. A qualitative study explored the typologies of services primarily used by Italian university students in Spring 2020 during the first lockdown period. Technology emerged as a major resource, facilitating daily tasks such as learning activities, relationships, and leisure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Stress and mental health of COVID-19 survivors and their families after hospital discharge: relationship with perceived healthcare staff empathy.

Several studies attest to the long-term consequences of COVID-19 infection on survivors' mental illness, especially in terms of high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 1-3 months after hospitalization. Aims of the present study were (1) to jointly evaluate PTSD and positive mental health among COVID-19 survivors and family members after hospital discharge, and (2) to investigate the relationship between perceived healthcare staff's relational empathy during hospitalization and survivors' post-traumatic stress levels. In this cross-sectional study, 60 survivors (Mage = 60.45; 63.3% men) and 40 family members (Mage = 52.33; 60% women) participated in an online survey 3-7 months after hospital discharge. In addition to providing socio-demographic data, they completed PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Survivors also completed the Consultation and Relational Empathy measure. Percentages of participants meeting a provisional PTSD and mental health diagnosis (flourishing, moderate, languishing) were calculated. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed on survivors' data, with perceived staff's empathy as predictor and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) as outcome. One-fifth of the participants received a provisional PTSD diagnosis, about half were diagnosed with flourishing or moderate mental health, and only 5% were languishing, with no significant between-group differences. Among survivors, a negative association was detected between perceived healthcare staff's empathy and PTSS, explaining 10.5% of the model variance over and above demographic and clinical variables. Findings highlighted the coexistence of PTSD and positive mental health among survivors and family members, suggesting the usefulness of assessing both negative and positive dimensions of mental health, in order to promote psycho-social adaptation once returning to everyday life. In addition, the role of compassionate care in clinical practice emerged as a potential means to mitigate severe traumatic reactions among survivors.

Resilience and Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Italian University Students: A Mixed-Method Study.

A vast amount of literature has highlighted that restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as lockdowns and the resulting interruption of face-to-face academic activities, strongly disrupted students' daily routine and undermined their well-being. Through a mixed method approach, this study was aimed at investigating the association between students' experience of the health emergency and their resilience levels during the first pandemic outbreak. Between April and May 2020, 421 Italian university students attending Health Sciences, Humanities, and Political Sciences courses completed the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), provided narratives about the emergency by answering an open-ended question, and filled out a demographic questionnaire. Results showed that narratives about community/society issues were by far the most recurrent ones across disciplinary areas, while a significantly higher percentage of students from Humanities focused on study/university. Health Sciences students were more likely to provide narratives concerning social commitment, and they reported significantly higher resilience levels than Humanities students. A higher percentage of students with moderate resilience focused their narratives on the study/university domain, compared to students with high resilience. Findings suggest the importance of supporting students' resilience to counterbalance their academic concerns in both times of crisis and ordinary times.

Flow Experience and Emotional Well-Being among Italian Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Research highlighted the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' emotional well-being worldwide. In the attempt to identify resources which could facilitate adolescents' adjustment, this study examined the occurrence of flow experience and related activities, and the association between flow and emotional well-being among Italian teenagers. In Spring 2021, 150 students (40.7% girls) aged 15-19 completed instruments assessing flow and related activities before and during the pandemic, and current positive and negative affect. Findings revealed that only 24.7% of the participants currently reported flow; over half of those reporting flow before the pandemic did not experience it subsequently, and only 6.5% of those not reporting flow before the pandemic currently experienced it. Participants with flow both before and during the pandemic reported higher positive affect than teens who never experienced flow (p = .011), or lost it (p = .006). No group differences were detected for negative affect. Learning, structured leisure, and interpersonal relations were the domains most frequently associated with flow before and during the pandemic, but after the pandemic onset a reduction in the variety of flow activities and limited identification of new flow domains were observed. The association of flow with higher emotional well-being even in pandemic times suggests the potential usefulness of interventions promoting flow retrieval under adverse circumstances.

Psychological distress and resilience among italian healthcare workers of geriatric services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed healthcare workers (HW) to heavy workload and psychological distress. This study was aimed to investigate distress levels among Italian physicians, nurses, rehabilitation professionals and healthcare assistants working in geriatric and long-term care services, and to explore the potential role of resilience as a protective resource. The General Health Questionnaire-12, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and a demographic survey were completed by 708 Italian HWs. Distress and resilience levels were compared between professionals through ANOVA; the contribution of sex, age, professional role, and resilience to distress was explored through regression analyses. Physicians reported significantly higher resilience and distress levels than rehabilitation professionals and healthcare assistants respectively. Women, HWs aged above 45, physicians, and participants reporting low resilience levels were at higher risk for distress. Findings suggest the importance of supporting HW's resilience to counterbalance the pandemic related distress.

The relationship between post-traumatic stress and positive mental health symptoms among health workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Lombardy, Italy.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing health workers (HW) worldwide to extreme burden and risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This problem emerged in Lombardy, the Italian region where the pandemic exacted the heaviest toll. Study aims were to assess mental health of HW in Lombardy after the peak of COVID-19 related hospitalizations, through the joint evaluation of PTSD and positive mental health; and to explore the potential role of positive mental health in PTSD development. METHODS: HW completed an online survey including demographic and work-related information; PTSD Checklist for DSM-5; Mental Health Continuum Short-Form. Analyses comprised calculation of percentages of participants meeting a provisional PTSD and mental health diagnosis (flourishing, moderate, languishing); a binary logistic regression with demographics, work-related features, and positive mental health as predictors, and provisional PTSD diagnosis as outcome. RESULTS: Out of 653 participants, 39.8% received a provisional PTSD diagnosis; 33.4% reported flourishing, 57.7% moderate, and 8.9% languishing mental health. Regression analysis highlighted that women vs. men, nurses vs. technical/rehabilitation HW, frontline vs. second-line workers and languishing vs. moderately mentally healthy HW were more likely to receive a provisional PTSD diagnosis, whereas flourishing participants were more likely not to receive it. No role emerged for job seniority. LIMITATIONS: Self-reported PTSD scores, stress symptoms related to COVID-19 considered as a global stressor, cross-sectional study design. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest the potential usefulness of supporting vulnerable HW categories during massive disease outbreaks through emergency-focused professional training and psychological intervention addressing both positive mental health promotion and PTSD prevention.