Psychological Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Laboratory Workers and Employees' Perceptions of Pandemic Control: The Case of a University Hospital

ABSTRACT

Objective: COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is a severe acute respiratory syndrome declared by the World Health Organization as an internationally important public health emergency. Healthcare workers at the forefront and at greater risk are more affected by the epidemic The purpose of this study is to reveal the psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on healthcare professionals working in laboratories, which is one of the important service units of hospitals. This study carries the distinction of being the first study investigating the effect on employees of the laboratory COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey. Material and Methods: The research sample consists of health personnel working in laboratories (n=82). IBM SPSS 20.0 software package and IBM SPSS AMOS 26 software package were used for statistical analysis. While evaluating the data, descriptive statistical methods, factor analysis (AFA, DFA), reliability analysis, correlation analysis were used. Independent sample t-test and ANOVA test were used to test the COVID-19 psychological effect of demographic variables and the perception of COVID-19 control. Results: The overall average of the COVID-19 Psychological Impact Questionnaire was found to be 3.294 ± 0.517. The general average of the “COVID-19 Perception of Control Scale” was found to be 2.413 ± 0.675. According to these results, it was determined that the psychological impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on laboratory workers was high, and the perception of control was low. It was determined that the Psychological Effect of COVID-19 and “COVID-19 Perception of Control Scale differed statistically from demographic variables with gender (P < .05). Conclusion: The psychological impact of COVID-19 is felt most by female employees. COVID-19 Macro control perception is higher in male employees. No significant difference was found with other sociodemographic variables (P > .05). As the psychological impact of COVID-19 on laboratory staff increases, their perception of controlling the outbreak is declining.As the level of anxiety and stress of laboratory personnel increases, their demands for stopping the epidemic and increasing protection also increase. © 2022 Archives of Health Science and Research. All rights reserved.