Identifying Psychosocial Risks and Protective Measures for Workers' Mental Wellbeing at the Time of COVID-19: A Narrative Review

The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused crucial changes in the workplace. Almost two years after the start of the COVID-19 era, new and old psychosocial risks in the workplace threaten workers' mental wellbeing and represent an occupational health challenge. The aim of this review is to identify the most relevant psychosocial factors, negative or protective, contributing to occupational stress during the current pandemic. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar and PsycINFO and a total of 51 articles were deemed suitable for inclusion in the review. Analysis of the retrieved articles revealed five main topics related to psychosocial wellbeing in the workplace: 1. Support from colleagues and organizations;2. Home-work interface and balance;3. Changes in workload and work demand;4. Job competence and appropriate training;5. Job insecurity and financial stress. All five themes were associated with occupational stress and poor mental outcomes, like anxiety, depression, and burnout symptoms. Peer and organizational support seem to have a major impact on workers' mental wellbeing. Recognizing these factors and projecting interventions that mitigate their effects or boost their efficacy is a fundamental step towards dealing with COVID-19 in the workplace, or any such future emergencies.

Telework and its effects on mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown.

OBJECTIVE: During the Covid-19 pandemic, many governments promoted the adoption and development of telework to reduce some of the consequences of the current health crisis on the economy and favor social distancing. The aim of this web-based cross-sectional study was to assess the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on job organization, exploring the effects of lockdown measures on the psychological distress and perceived well-being of workers experiencing telework. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional survey has been used to collect data. The participants answered the questionnaire from April 1 to April 30, 2020. The questionnaire consisted of three sections, which investigated: 1) demographic and occupational variables, 2) lifestyle and habits variables, 3) psychological distress and perceived well-being. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) has been used to evaluate psychological distress and the 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) to explore subjective well-being. RESULTS: Psychological distress was associated with educational level, with habits, and with reporting poor well-being. Poor well-being was associated with a higher job demand during pandemic, lifestyle and habits variables, and psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the first studies exploring the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on the perceived well-being and psychological distress of workers experiencing telework. It is mandatory to pay more and more attention to the mental health of teleworkers, considering the increasing diffusion and adoption of this type of work organization.

Health, Transport and the Environment: The Impacts of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Air Pollution

Lockdown measures were initiated in Italy on March 9th after the start of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic to flatten the epidemic curve. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of restrictive measures in the Apulia Region, southern Italy, on air quality from March to April 2020. We applied a dual-track approach. We assessed citizen mobility and vehicle traffic with mobility network data and information obtained from satellite tracking, and we evaluated and compared pollutant concentration data as measured by monitoring stations maintained by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Prevention of Apulia (ARPA). The results showed a decrease in the weekly mean NO₂ concentration recorded by urban traffic stations during the lockdown period. In particular, in the city of Bari, the average NO₂ concentration decreased from 62.2 mug/m³ in March 2019 to 48.2 mug/m³ in March 2020. Regarding PM10 levels, the average concentrations at the individual traffic stations showed no particular variation compared to those in the same months of the previous year, except for Bari-Caldarola Station in March 2019/2020 (p-value < 0.001) and in April 2019/2020 (p-value = 0.04). In particular the average in March 2019 was ~26.9 mug/m³, while that in March 2020 was ~22.9 mug/m³. For April, the average concentration of PM10 in 2019 was 27.9 mug/m³, while in 2020, the average was ~22.4 mug/m³. This can be explained by the fact that PM10 levels are influenced by multiple variables such as weather and climate conditions and desert dust advections.

The impact of COVID-19 on doctors' well-being: results of a web survey during the lockdown in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), to be a pandemic. From the beginning, Italy (in particular the Northern regions) was the first large European country to be hit and one of the most affected countries worldwide. This had a significant impact on the workload and psychological health of health workers. The aim of this web-based cross-sectional study is to assess the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on Italian doctors' well-being and psychological distress, in respect of demographic and occupational characteristics, lifestyle and habits during the lockdown period. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey based on Google® Forms to collect data. The participation was available during the lockdown period that started in Italy on March 9, 2020 and it was voluntary and anonymous. The questionnaire explored demographic and occupational variables, lifestyle and habits during the lockdown, perceived well-being and psychological distress. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted. RESULTS: Our study reported the very alarming psychological conditions of Italian doctors, especially among those who worked in the most affected regions, where a level of psychological distress of 93.8% and poor well-being of 58.9% were registered. These percentages were even higher in the case of female hospital workers with low job seniority, and those caring for COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reported a significant psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on Italian doctors, particularly among those working in the most affected regions of the country. Further studies are necessary to better understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on doctors' well-being and mental health over time, in order to implement effective prevention measures.