Anxiety and Psychological Flexibility in Women After Childbirth in the Rooming-in Unit during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has intensified perinatal anxiety disorders. Psychological flexibility (PF), considered a specific mental toughness, has not been examined with regard to its relationship with anxiety in women after childbirth. We aimed to compare levels of anxiety, PF, and pain in women depending on the mode of birth, parity, and the magnitude of risk of developing an anxiety disorder. We also investigated the association of anxiety with PF and pain. METHODS: A total of 187 women after childbirth completed validated questionnaires for anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety, Numerical Rating Scale for anxiety [NRS-A]), PF, and pain (Numerical Rating Scale for pain). Specific postpartum anxieties were assessed with a numerical scale from 0 to 10. The relationship of anxiety with PF and pain was examined. Women at low and high risk of developing anxiety disorder were compared in terms of PF, anxiety, and pain. RESULTS: On the second postpartum day, women after cesarean birth demonstrated significantly greater anxiety on NRS-A and pain than those after vaginal birth. Primiparous women experienced significantly greater anxieties and pain compared to multiparous women. The higher the PF patients demonstrated, the less anxiety and pain they had. Patients at high risk of developing an anxiety disorder had a lower level of PF (P < .001) and higher levels of anxiety (P < .001) and pain (P < .01) than patients at low risk of developing an anxiety disorder. No difference in the anxiety of getting COVID-19 was observed between the groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: PF is an important psychological construct related to the mental and physical condition of women after childbirth. Increasing PF in women after childbirth may be considered as an important goal of preventive and intervention measures.

How to Improve the Care of Women after Childbirth in the Rooming-in Unit: A Prospective Observational Study.

Rooming-in is the WHO-recommended care system for mothers in the puerperium and their babies. This system allows the newborn to stay with the mother in the same room, 24 h a day. We aimed to investigate the need to entrust a newborn (NEN) in the care of maternity rooming-in staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its relationship to pain, anxiety, and blood loss after delivery. A prospective study of 200 adult women in the maternity ward operating in the rooming-in system focussed on NEN in the care of maternity rooming-in staff on the first (T1) and the second day of puerperium (T2). Women who declared having NEN were compared with women without NEN for anxiety, pain, and a drop in haemoglobin in the blood after delivery. In T1, 34% and in T2, 27% of women felt NEN in the care of maternity rooming-in staff. The NEN of women after a cesarean section was higher on both days than the NEN of women after vaginal delivery. Women with NEN had higher levels of pain, state anxiety, and higher levels of postpartum anxiety than women without NEN. Further research should be warranted to investigate whether women who give birth in hospitals that satisfy the NEN in the care of maternity rooming-in staff in their rooming-in units experience less pain and anxiety in comparison to those who give birth in hospital units without such a possibility and whether this factor is an important element in reducing anxiety and pain during puerperium.

How Psychological Variables Maybe Correlated with Willingness to Get COVID-19 Vaccine: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study of Polish Novice Nurses.

INTRODUCTION: Nurses became the largest medical group exposed to direct contact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In this study, we aimed to assess the readiness and motivation for vaccination, as well as the use of sources of information and attitudes toward vaccination depending on the psychological profile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey study was conducted. The study included 145 novice nurses from 8 medical universities who completed 3-year undergraduate studies. Women constituted 97.2% of the respondents (N = 141). The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Brief Resilient Coping Scale, and an original questionnaire were used. Variables were analyzed with descriptive statistics methods. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Among the participants, 73.1% had already been vaccinated against COVID-19 (N = 106). The participants were divided into two groups: G1 (N = 98), characterized by a lower level of anxiety with higher self-efficacy and resilient coping, and G2 (N = 47), with a higher level of anxiety with poorer self-efficacy and resilient coping. The analysis of the potential correlation of psychological pattern with the decision to vaccinate was not statistically significant (p = 0.166). CONCLUSION: Psychological variables may be correlating with motivation, attitudes toward vaccination, and the choice of reliable sources of information about vaccination. Our study demonstrates the key role of two psychological variables, self-efficacy and resilient coping, in this context.

Occurrence of Professional Burnout and Severity of Depressive Symptoms among Cardiac Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Nurses with depression are not only likely to suffer themselves, but it may have an impact on their coworkers and potentially the quality of care they provide. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression and its association with burnout in cardiac nurses. A group of 400 cardiac nurses (361 women and 39 men) was enrolled. The standardized tools such as Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used. A high level of professional burnout regarding emotional exhaustion was observed in 53.3% of nurses, high depersonalization in 52.5%, and low personal accomplishment in 72.8%. PHQ-9 and BDI were shown to correlate significantly and positively with all three MBI subscales (p < 0.05). High depressive symptoms and occupational burnout were correlated with depression (p < 0.05). In conclusion, nurses were found to have high levels of depression and professional burnout, which may have resulted in a negative impact on the quality of patient care. Identification of burnout in cardiac nurses is necessary to consider interventions to prevent stress and depression.

"Vaccinate, Do Not Hesitate!". Vaccination Readiness against COVID-19 among Polish Nursing Undergraduate Students: A National Cross-Sectional Survey.

COVID-19 vaccination raises numerous concerns among the public, and also among medical personnel including nurses. As nurses play a crucial role in the process of vaccination, it is important to recognize the attitudes of students of nursing, nurses in spe, toward COVID-19 vaccination, as well as to define the factors influencing students' pro-vaccine choices. The study was conducted between March and April 2021 at all medical universities in Poland educating nurses in spe. The study included 793 first-degree students from 12 universities. The results revealed that the vast majority of students of nursing (77.2%) were vaccinated against COVID-19, as 61.2% received an mRNA vaccine and 16% a viral vector vaccine. Every other person in the non-vaccinated group declared their intention to get a vaccination. A trend was observed whereby people co-living with persons from the risk group, who are at risk of a severe form of COVID-19, showed greater willingness to get a vaccine. The study results identified the role of universities in increasing the vaccination rate among students, both in terms of education about vaccinations and in shaping pro-vaccine attitudes among students, as well as organizing vaccinations on university campuses to facilitate the process.

Psychometric Properties and Cultural Adaptation of the Polish Version of the Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire (HLPCQ).

BACKGROUND: Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), sometimes referred to as lifestyle diseases, are the most common cause of death and disability worldwide. Thus, healthcare professionals should be equipped with tools, knowledge, skills, and competencies in the newly distinguished field of lifestyle medicine. The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire (HLPCQ). The Polish version of the HLPCQ would further provide Polish healthcare professionals with a useful and convenient tool for routine lifestyle assessment while giving HLPCQ novel use and potential for further research. METHODS: Before testing its psychometric properties, the HLPCQ was translated and adapted from the original Greek version into Polish. Subsequently, we tested the instrument's psychometric properties on a sample of 2433 participants. In addition, we tested the factorial validity of the HLPCQ using confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: There were more female than male participants (91.78%). Most of them were middle-aged (30.40 ± 7.71), single (39.62%), and living with family (70.65%). In terms of residence, 1122 (46.12%) participants lived in cities with a population of over 500,000. In terms of reliability, the internal consistency of the Polish version and its domains is excellent. Cronbach's alpha for each of the domains of the scale ranged between 0.6 and 0.9. CONCLUSIONS: The Polish version of the Healthy Lifestyle and Personal Control Questionnaire (HLPCQ) has good characteristics of factorial validity and can be used in clinical practice and research.

COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers in the University Clinical Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland.

Efforts to limit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections among hospital healthcare staff are crucial for controlling the Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemics. The study aimed to explore the prevalence and clinical presentations of COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs) at the University Clinical Hospital (UCH) in Wroclaw with 1677 beds. The retrospective study was performed in 2020 using a self-derived structured questionnaire in a sample of HCWs who were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed using a PCR double gene test and consented to be enrolled into the study. The significance level for all statistical tests was set to 0.05. The study showed that of the 4998 hospital workers, among 356 cases reported as COVID-19 infected, 70 consented to take part in the survey: nurses (48.5%), doctors (17.1%), HCWs with patient contact (10.0%), other HCWs without patient contact (7.1%), and cleaning personnel (5.7%). HCWs reported concurrent diseases such as hypertension (17.1%), bronchial asthma (5.7%), and diabetes (5.7%). Failure to keep 2 m distancing during contact (65.5%) and close contact with the infected person 14 days before the onset of symptoms or collection of biological material (58.6%) were identified as the increased risks of infection. A large part of infections in hospital healthcare staff were symptomatic (42.9%). The first symptoms of COVID-19 were general weakness (42.9%), poor mental condition (41.4%), and muscle pain (32.9%); whereas in the later stages of the illness, general weakness (38.6%), coughing (34.3%), lack of appetite (31.4%), and loss of taste (31.4%) were observed. In about 30% of the infected HCWs, there was no COVID-19 symptoms whatsoever. The vast majority of the patients were treated at home (85.7%). In conclusion, the majority of the SARS-CoV-2 infections in the hospital HCWs were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. Therefore, successful limitation of COVID-19 infection spread at hospitals requires a close attention to future cross-infections.