ABSTRACT
Background: This study analyzed the difference in psychological distress of the healthcare workers in three different periods of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Argentina. Specifically, from the third week of the mandatory quarantine through the two following weeks. Methods: Analysis of the responses of 1,458 members of the health personnel was done on a questionnaire on healthcare workers concerns regarding the care of patients with coronavirus, indicators of depression, anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and coping. Results: The psychological indicators that were considered presented differences between the evaluated periods. Perceived concerns about the possibility of infecting loved ones and infecting themselves were greatest in the periods after the onset of the pandemic. In addition, the perception of how the work environment worsened and how lack of sleep interfered with their work was also higher in periods 2 and 3. The same results were found in the indicators of depression, anxiety, and intolerance of uncertainty. Finally, the indicators of high tension and concurrent lack of emotional control, which was greater in the last periods evaluated, were also expressed in the coping strategies (showing emotional lability, only contained by hypercontrol). Conclusion: The differences found in the psychological indicators between the evaluated periods support the need for early psychological care of health personnel which should be a priority of public health and a fundamental fact to increase its immediate effectiveness in the care of infected patients.
ABSTRACT
Este artículo informa la adaptación lingüística y el análisis de las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Intolerancia a la Incertidumbre (EII) en población de Buenos Aires. La EII evalúa la intolerancia a la incertidumbre (II) que es uno de los componentes principales del trastorno de ansiedad generalizada (TAG) según el modelo teórico de Dugas. La intolerancia a la incertidumbre se define como una disposición característica que resulta de un conjunto de pensamientos negativos sobre la incertidumbre. La Escala de Intolerancia a la Incertidumbre (EII) está compuesta por 27 ítemes que se responden con un formato tipo Likert de cinco opciones de respuesta. Se analizaron los datos obtenidos de una muestra de 320 participantes, residentes de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires y el Gran Buenos Aires (República Argentina). Se obtuvieron correlaciones significativas con medidas criterio de preocupación (r = .44; p = .000) y ansiedad como estado (r = .36; p = .000) y como rasgo (r = .58; p = .000). Se estudió la estructura de la escala con el análisis de componentes principales y se obtuvieron dos factores que explican el 41.07% de la variancia total. Con respecto a la fiabilidad, los resultados indican una excelente consistencia interna de los ítemes igual a .93 y una estabilidad test-retest luego de cinco semanas, igual a .47. No se registraron diferencias significativas en las puntuaciones de la escala según la edad y el sexo. En su conjunto, los resultados obtenidos en la investigación realizada son concordantes con los hallazgos de investigaciones anteriores. Dado que la II constituye un factor de vulnerabilidad para el TAG, es de utilidad contar con un cuestionario adaptado a la población local.
The purpose of this paper is to report as regards the linguistic and cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS, for its acronyms in English) in the adult population of Buenos Aires (Republica Argentina). The IUS assesses the intolerance of uncertainty (IU), which is one of the principal components of the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) according to the theoretical model of Dugas. IU has been defined as a dispositional characteristic that results from a set of negative beliefs about uncertainty and it has been proposed as a cognitive vulnerability factor for worry and GAD. Furthermore it may be defined more specifically as the excessive tendency of an individual to consider it unacceptable that a negative event may occur, however small the probability of its occurrence. In general, intolerance of uncertainty may be conceptualized as the way an individual perceives information in uncertain situations and responds to said information with a set of emotional, cognitive and behavioral responses. The IUS is composed of 27 items related to the idea that uncertainty is unacceptable, leads to frustration and the inability to take action and it reflected badly on a person. Participants rate items on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1: not at all characteristic of me to 5: entirely characteristic of me. Higher scores on the IUS indicate greater intolerance of uncertainty. The original French version of the IUS was developed in 1994 to assess emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions to ambiguous situations, implications of being uncertain, and attempts to control the future. In 2002, the IUS was translated from French to English. Similar to the original French measure, the English translation had shown excellent internal consistency and temporal stability. It has demonstrated convergent, criterial, and discriminant validity. On this study, the IUS translated into Spanish by three independent translators. The content validity was assessed through the use of three independent judges who had broad knowledge of anxiety disorder. The preliminary version was tested with a sample of 90 participants. The research was a descriptive and correlational study, with a transversal design The participants completed the following questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Data obtained from a sample of 320 participants (168 females and 152 males) of the Ciudad and Provincia de Buenos Aires has been analyzed. Data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) - Version 22 software. In relation to the evidence of validity, significant correlations were obtained with worry (r = .44; p = .000) and anxiety as a state (r = .36; p = .000) and trait (r = .58; p = .000). The exploratory data analysis regarding the factor structure of the scale and dimensions of the construct indicated two factors that explain 41.07 % of the total variance. On the one hand, concerning the consistency of this scale, the results show an excellent internal consistency (.93) and a fairly strong test-retest reliability over a five-week period of .47. On the other hand, significant differences were not registered in the punctuations of the scale according to age and sex, and these findings are consistent with previous research. As a whole, the results obtained from the present investigation are consistent with the findings of previous investigations. Given that the IU constitutes a factor of vulnerability for the TAG, it is useful to rely on a questionnaire adapted to the local population. To conclude, the present study has demonstrated the sound psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the IUS.
