Violence against health personnel before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Violence in the workplace has been an alarming phenomenon around the world. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of violence against health personnel in urgent and emergency departments, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is an exploratory cross-sectional study including a structured online survey with the approval of the Research Ethics Committee. The sample was composed of health personnel over 18 years old who work in urgent and emergency departments. The survey was structured with sections: sociodemographic data, detailing of occupational data, and a survey of physical, verbal, sexual, and racial violence. Descriptive statistics included absolute frequencies and percentages for categorical variables and means with standard deviation for continuous variables. RESULTS: A total of 114 participants, aged between 20 and 60 years, answered the questionnaire; 68.4% of them were women. Most of them were white (71.9%), married or living with a partner (70.2%), residing in the south or southeast regions (85.1%) of Brazil, 56.1% doctors, 11.4% nurses, and 12.3% nursing technicians. The incidence of violence before the COVID-19 pandemic was 60%. During the pandemic, the incidence suffered low variation, being 57.9%. Only 37.7% said that their workplace offers some procedure/routine to report acts of violence suffered at work. Verbal violence was the most reported among the participants. Anxiety, tiredness, fear, low self-esteem, loss of concentration, and stress are the most frequent consequences of aggression. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic did not potentiate the episodes of violence; however, episodes of violence continue to occur, and so management and prevention measures must be implemented.

Violence against health personnel before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Violence in the workplace has been an alarming phenomenon around the world. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of violence against health personnel in urgent and emergency departments, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This is an exploratory cross-sectional study including a structured online survey with the approval of the Research Ethics Committee. The sample was composed of health personnel over 18 years old who work in urgent and emergency departments. The survey was structured with sections: sociodemographic data, detailing of occupational data, and a survey of physical, verbal, sexual, and racial violence. Descriptive statistics included absolute frequencies and percentages for categorical variables and means with standard deviation for continuous variables. RESULTS: A total of 114 participants, aged between 20 and 60 years, answered the questionnaire; 68.4% of them were women. Most of them were white (71.9%), married or living with a partner (70.2%), residing in the south or southeast regions (85.1%) of Brazil, 56.1% doctors, 11.4% nurses, and 12.3% nursing technicians. The incidence of violence before the COVID-19 pandemic was 60%. During the pandemic, the incidence suffered low variation, being 57.9%. Only 37.7% said that their workplace offers some procedure/routine to report acts of violence suffered at work. Verbal violence was the most reported among the participants. Anxiety, tiredness, fear, low self-esteem, loss of concentration, and stress are the most frequent consequences of aggression. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic did not potentiate the episodes of violence; however, episodes of violence continue to occur, and so management and prevention measures must be implemented.

Violência mental: ansiedade e depressão durante a pandemia de COVID-19 no Brasil / Mental violence: anxiety and depression during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

Buscou-se avaliar a frequência de ansiedade e depressão e seus fatores associados ao longo da pandemia de COVID-19. Estudo transversal exploratório envolvendo 1.057 participantes, sendo aplicados os questionários GAD-7 e PHQ-9, através de Plataforma Google Forms, com amostragem bola de neve. A média de idade foi de 38 ± 14 anos, sendo 78% mulheres, provindos de 21 Estados brasileiros. Quarenta e dois por cento dos participantes tiveram escore GAD-7 ≥ 10, cerca de 53% teve escore PHQ-9 ≥ 10. Principais fatores de risco incluíram: gênero feminino, ser jovem, casado ou com companheiro, consumir bebidas alcoólicas, problemas psiquiátricos prévios, utilizar medicação para dormir, dormir menos de 8 horas, percepção negativa sobre COVID-19, estar em isolamento social, pesadelos frequentes e ideação suicida. O Brasil mantém-se com altos níveis de ansiedade e depressão durante a pandemia em associação com ideação suicida.

Anxiety and depression disorders are associated with professional and academic impairment and reduced life quality. Frequency of symptoms of anxiety and depression, and their association with health risk behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic are evaluated. Cross-sectional study comprised 1,057 participants, 78% females, mean age 38±14 years, from 21 different Brazilian states. GAD-7 and PHQ-9 inventories were applied by Google Forms, with snowball sampling. Forty-two percent of the participants had a GAD-7 score ≥ 10, while 53% had a PHQ-9 score ≥ 10. Main risk factors comprised: being female, young, married or with partner, consuming alcoholic beverages, having previous psychiatric problems, taking sleeping pills, sleeping less than 8 hours, having a negative perception about COVID-19, staying isolated, having frequent nightmares and suicide thoughts. Brazil is a country featuring high levels of symptoms of anxiety and depression, significantly associated with suicide thoughts.

Mental Violence: The COVID-19 Nightmare.

The year 2020 has generated profound changes in personal and working relations, and in dreams of millions of people worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and content of nightmares during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, evaluating its associations with sociodemographic, occupational, and clinical factors. Cross-sectional exploratory study, including 1,057 participants who responded to an online survey about mental violence and nightmares during the pandemic, between May 25 and June 1, 2020. A descriptive analysis of the results was done to obtain frequency tables. McNemar's non-parametric test was used to compare the frequency of nightmares before and after the pandemic, and logistic regression models, to identify factors most strongly associated with the pandemic nightmares. Participants were from 21 Brazilian states, with a mean age of 38 ± 14 years, and 78% women. Half of them (n = 529) reported at least one nightmare episode during the pandemic, and 32.9% (n = 348) described a pandemic content. There was nearly a 3-fold increase in the occurrence of nightmares "once a week or more" during the pandemic, 9% before vs. 25% after. Prior psychiatric care, suicidal ideation, sleep medication, increased pandemic alcohol consumption, perceiving high risk of contamination, being woman, and of younger age were factors associated with having nightmares during the pandemic. Prior psychiatric care, sleep medication, and age remained significant after excluding participants without nightmares and comparing between individuals with and without a pandemic content. We conclude the COVID-19 pandemic has affected people's dreams. The increase in the frequency of nightmares, their pandemic content, and association with previous conditions are a concerning public mental health issue and should be taken into consideration by authorities and policy makers.

Violência sexual contra a mulher: adesão de hospitais de referência e os perfis sociodemográficos / Sexual violence against women: adherence of reference hospitals and sociodemographic profiles

Buscou-se identificar o grau de adesão dos hospitais de referência ao Protocolo de atendimento às mulheres em situação de violência sexual no Paraná-Brasil, entre 2009 e 2015, associando aos perfis sociodemográficos e às categorias de adesão. Estudo observacional transversal, população composta por todas as mulheres em situação de violência sexual, atendidas por 28 Hospitais do Paraná. Analisaram-se dez itens sobre a taxa de adesão: desde o acolhimento, profilaxias, até encaminhamentos posteriores ao trauma. Encontrou-se que todos os Hospitais fizeram o atendimento agudo às mulheres: 50% aderiram às Profilaxias ISTs, AIDS e hepatites, coletas de secreção e exames sanguíneos; 63% ofereceram contracepção de emergência; 69% encaminharam para acompanhamento ambulatorial. Houve associação entre idade, etnia, escolaridade e estado civil com melhores taxas de adesão ao Protocolo. Entendeu-se que Hospitais de referência se preocupam com atendimentos agudos, mas não aderem integralmente às medidas profiláticas, multidisciplinares e continuadas.

The adhesion rate of reference hospitals to the Protocol of Attendance for women in situations of sexual violence in the state of Paraná, Brazil, between 2009 and 2015, is provided, associating it with sociodemographic profiles and adhesion categories. Current transversal observational study comprised an all-female population in situations of sexual violence attended by 28 hospitals in the state of Paraná. Ten items were analyzed, including reception of patient, prophylaxis and posttrauma referrals. All hospitals performed primary care for victims; 50% adhered to STIs, AIDS and hepatitis prophylaxis, secretion collection and blood tests; 63% offered emergency contraception; 69% forwarded them to outpatient follow-up. There was an association between age, ethnicity, education and marital status with better rates of adherence to the Protocol. Although reference hospitals are concerned with total care, they do not fully adhere to prophylactic, multidisciplinary and continuous measures.