Psychological Distress in Healthcare Workers between the First and Second COVID-19 Waves: The Role of Personality Traits, Attachment Style, and Metacognitive Functioning as Protective and Vulnerability Factors.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) since its outbreak, but little attention has been paid to person-level vulnerability and protective factors. This study aims to determine the prevalence of both general and pandemic-related psychological distress among HCWs between the first and second COVID-19 waves in Italy and analyze associations between psychological distress and personality traits, attachment style, and metacognitive functioning. Between June and October 2020, 235 Italian HCWs completed questionnaires concerning psychological stress, personality traits, attachment style, and metacognitive functioning; 26.5% of respondents presented with moderate to extremely severe levels of general psychological distress and 13.8% with moderate to extremely severe levels of pandemic-related psychological distress. After controlling for demographic and occupational variables, significant associations emerged among high emotional stability as a personality trait and both general (aOR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41-0.79) and pandemic-related psychological stress (aOR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41-0.90). Additionally, higher scores regarding one's ability to understand others' emotional states were associated with lower odds of developing psychological distress (aOR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.63-0.93). Lastly, when comparing those with fearful attachment styles to those with secure attachments, the aOR for psychological distress was 4.73 (95% CI: 1.45-17.04). These results highlight the importance of conducting baseline assessments of HCWs' person-level factors and providing regular screenings of psychological distress.

Estimating the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Maternal and Perinatal Health Care Services in Italy: Results of a Self-Administered Survey.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is strongly changing the way most people live their lives, and disrupting specialist healthcare systems. Such public health disruptions have resulted in significant collateral damage with particular implications for vulnerable populations, including the perinatal population. This Study aims to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Italian maternal and perinatal health care services. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate the COVID-19 impact on Italian maternal and perinatal healthcare facilities and their activities and provision of services from March to May 2020. The survey was completed by hospital-based and community-based Italian maternal and perinatal healthcare facilities. Most of these were located in Lombardy or Veneto (the most affected Italian regions). 70% of all facilities reported that the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic negatively influenced the functioning of one or more aspects of the perinatal service; only 28.4% of facilities all over the country continued to provide outpatient routine visits and examinations as usual; 23.4% of facilities became understaffed during the index period due to various reasons such as ward transfer and sick leave. This is the first Italian study, and among very few international studies that describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on antenatal and postnatal healthcare facilities and their provision of activities and services. Our findings confirm that healthcare systems even in high-income countries were not entirely prepared to handle such a global health emergency; indeed, specialized maternal and perinatal healthcare services have been disrupted by this global health emergency.

Mental Health States Experienced by Perinatal Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy.

BACKGROUND: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on mental health status in a variety of populations. METHODS: An online non-probability sample survey was used to assess psychological distress symptoms and burnout among perinatal healthcare professionals (PHPs) during the pandemic in Italy. The questionnaire included the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Demographic and occupational factors associated with stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms were analyzed. RESULTS: The sample size was 195. The estimated self-reported rates of moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and perceived stress levels were 18.7, 18.7, and 21.5%, respectively. Furthermore, 6.2% of respondents reported burnout. One factor associated with all three self-reported psychological distress issues was suffering from trauma unrelated to the pandemic (aOR: 7.34, 95% CI: 2.73-20.28 for depression; aOR: 6.13, 95% CI: 2.28-16.73 for anxiety; aOR: 3.20, 95% CI: 1.14-8.88 for stress). Compared to physicians, psychologists had lower odds of developing clinically significant depressive symptoms (aOR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.04-0.94) and high stress levels (aOR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.04-0.80). CONCLUSIONS: High rates of self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as perceived stress, among PHPs were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health authorities should implement and integrate timely and regular evidence-based assessment of psychological distress targeting PHPs in their work plans.

The Collateral Impact of COVID-19 Emergency on Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Family-Centered Care: Challenges and Opportunities.

The ongoing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is disrupting most specialized healthcare services worldwide, including those for high-risk newborns and their families. Due to the risk of contagion, critically ill infants, relatives and professionals attending neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are undergoing a profound remodeling of the organization and quality of care. In particular, mitigation strategies adopted to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may hinder the implementation of family-centered care within the NICU. This may put newborns at risk for several adverse effects, e.g., less weight gain, more nosocomial infections, increased length of NICU stay as well as long-term worse cognitive, emotional, and social development. This article aims to contribute to deepening the knowledge on the psychological impact of COVID-19 on parents and NICU staff members based on empirical data from the literature. We also provided evidence-based indications on how to safely empower families and support NICU staff facing such a threatening emergency, while preserving the crucial role of family-centered developmental care practices.