An investigation of the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, turnover intention and psychological resilience among medical staff in a public hospital in China during the outbreak of the omicron variant in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), turnover intention and psychological resilience of medical staff during the Outbreak of the Omicron Variant in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 and to provide a basis for adopting relevant psychological interventions to reduce medical staff turnover. Methods Using the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) and a total score ranging from 17 to 85 points, a total score ≥ 38 indicates significant PTSD symptoms and a diagnosis of PTSD. The Chinese version of the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS) has a total score of 6 to 24 points;the higher the score, the stronger the turnover intention. The Chinese version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) has a total score of 0 to 100 points, with higher scores indicating a better level of psychological resilience. A total of 443 front-line medical staff working in Chinese public hospitals and still treating all patients normally during COVID-19 were invited via the internet to complete a survey from 15 May to 30 May 2022 in China. Results The incidence of PTSD was 14.4%, the total turnover intention score was 13.38 ± 4.08, and the total psychological resilience score was 87.16 ± 18.42. The prevalence of PTSD was higher among medical staff who were married, had children, and were worried about being infected;in addition, the PTSD group had a higher level of education, higher turnover intention, and lower psychological resilience than the non-PTSD group. The total scores for turnover intention and fear of being infected were risk factors for PTSD, while a high total psychological resilience score and high education level were protective factors for PTSD;the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Post-traumatic stress disorder among Chinese medical personnel was associated with the marital status, childbirth, education level, turnover intention, and psychological resilience. Among these factors, psychological resilience might be exploited as a protective factor.