The Effect of Psychosocial Safety Climate on Engagement and Psychological Distress: A Multilevel Study on the Healthcare Sector

All work sectors have been affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The perception of risk combined with the lack of safety and fear for their own safety have caused severe psychological discomfort in workers. Of all the work sectors, the most affected was certainly the healthcare sector. In hospitals, medical staff were at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19, providing care in close physical proximity to patients and had a direct risk of being exposed to the virus. The main objective of the study was to investigate the perception of a psychosocial safety climate and the effect on engagement and psychological stress in a sample of 606 healthcare workers (physicians 39.6%, nurses 41.3%, healthcare assistant 19.1%), belonging to six organisations and organised into 11 working groups. Furthermore, we wanted to investigate the mediating effect of workaholism at both individual and group level. The results partially confirmed our hypotheses and the mediating effect at the individual level of working compulsively. A psychosocial safety climate in healthcare workers led to a decrease in engagement through the mediation of working compulsively. The mediating effect of working compulsively might be due to a climate that did not guarantee or preserve the psychological health and safety of healthcare workers. In this research, the most important limit concerns the number of organisations and the number of groups.

Dispositional Resilience as Mediator in Psychological Stress on Healthcare Workers: A Multi-Group Analysis of Frontline and Non-Frontline Workers.

The experiences of healthcare workers (HCWs) during COVID-19 have been characterized by psychological symptoms such as stress, anxiety and depression, compassion fatigue and post-traumatic stress, which are long-lasting. The general picture of HCWs, especially frontline workers, is that of a physically and psychologically exhausted group. The aim of the study was to examine the potential mediating role of dispositional resilience in the impact of depression, anxiety and stress on professional quality of life among HCWs during the pandemic period. We also investigated possible differences between the frontline and non-frontline HCWs. The study enrolled 487 participants from public Italian hospitals. The variables of stress and anxiety predicted all factors related to professional quality of life, against depression which positively predicted only burnout and secondary traumatic Stress. Resilience was an important mediator in all these paths and the multigroup analysis suggested statistically significant differences between frontline and non-frontline HCWs. Results emphasised the importance of caring and concern for frontline HCWs to improve their quality of life, satisfaction and have positive impacts on the quality of service and care provided. There is a need to reflect on the necessity to develop projects and protocols that address health emergencies in advance.

Health Occupation and Job Satisfaction: The Impact of Psychological Capital in the Management of Clinical Psychological Stressors of Healthcare Workers in the COVID-19 Era.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted global health. Frontline healthcare workers involved in the response to COVID-19 faced physical and psychological challenges that threatened their wellbeing and job satisfaction. The pandemic crisis, alongside pre-existing critical issues, exposed healthcare workers to constant emotional fatigue, creating an increased workload and vulnerability to stress. Maintaining such stress levels increased their levels of anxiety, irritability and loneliness. Evidence shows that the Psychological Capital (PsyCap) was a strong protective factor against these stressors. The aim of this study was to analyze the level of job satisfaction among health workers facing the COVID-19 pandemic. The possible antecedent factors to satisfaction and the role that PsyCap plays in preserving and fostering higher levels of job satisfaction were investigated. A total of 527 healthcare workers from different areas of Italy were recruited for the study. The results revealed that psychological stress factors have a considerable impact on job satisfaction. All four predictors (Stress Vulnerability, Anxiety Symptoms, Loneliness and Irritability) had the potential to decrease job satisfaction. Loneliness had a more significant effect than other factors assessed in this study. Moreover, the results showed how PsyCap could decrease the effects of psychological stressors on job satisfaction. Consistent with previous studies, our findings show that PsyCap could alleviate negative impacts in work-related circumstances.

A New Academic Quality at Work Tool (AQ@workT) to Assess the Quality of Life at Work in the Italian Academic Context.

The present study provides evidence for a valid and reliable tool, the Academic Quality at Work Tool (AQ@workT), to investigate the quality of life at work in academics within the Italian university sector. The AQ@workT was developed by the QoL@Work research team, namely a group of expert academics in the field of work and organizational psychology affiliated with the Italian Association of Psychologists. The tool is grounded in the job demands-resources model and its psychometric properties were assessed in three studies comprising a wide sample of lecturers, researchers, and professors: a pilot study (N = 120), a calibration study (N = 1084), and a validation study (N = 1481). Reliability and content, construct, and nomological validity were supported, as well as measurement invariance across work role (researchers, associate professors, and full professors) and gender. Evidence from the present study shows that the AQ@workT represents a useful and reliable tool to assist university management to enhance quality of life, to manage work-related stress, and to mitigate the potential for harm to academics, particularly during a pandemic. Future studies, such as longitudinal tests of the AQ@workT, should test predictive validity among the variables in the tool.

Psychopathological Dynamics during COVID-19 Social Distancing and Stay-at-home Policies: Telepsychological Support as a Bridge to the Enhancement of Psychological Well-being

On 9 March 2020, following the expansion of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, the Italian Government established an emergency protocol imposing restrictions: from the obligation to stay at home to the total closure of work activities. This decree made it essential to introduce various "New" Modes of psychological support, carried out through the use of smartphones, computers or other electronic devices equipped with an internet connection. The aim of this study was to observe, through the reception of telephone calls, the main psychological disorders reported by the population during the lockdown period in Italy. Another aim was to test this mode of intervention and evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and its potential effectiveness in advance. From the data that emerged, it will subsequently be possible to establish a psychological intervention line aimed at determining the most frequent psychological problems reported during this period. From the start of the Italian lockdown, the psychological telephone support, promoted by the COEHAR center, has been activated. In order to manage the psychological requests arriving from all over Italy, this psychological intervention was available every day for one month from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. A total of 255 psychological requests were examined. Although northern Italy had experienced a greater spread of the virus than in other areas, more calls were made from people living in southern Italy. The majority of psychological disorders were represented by Trauma and Stress-Related Disorders and anxietymood disorders that people reported as associated to the distress experienced during the lockdown period. For this reason, we recommend setting up a specific telephone intervention line to take charge of these specific psychological symptoms.