Evaluation of the Level of Psychological Distress in Construction Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Southern Spain.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a major challenge for construction companies, which were confronted with the need to prevent the enormous negative socio-psychological impact of the pandemic on their employees. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of psychological distress among construction workers in an advanced phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Andalusia, southern Spain. For this, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using online questionnaires with data on sociodemographic variables and employment situation, COVID-19 pandemic-related data, and Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). A total of 860 questionnaires from all provinces of Andalusia, Spain, were collected between March and May 2022. Descriptive statistical analyses and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U and Chi-squared tests were performed, followed by logistic regression analysis. The incidence of psychological distress was higher among women, individuals under 43 years of age, those with a family income below EUR 1200, participants whose working conditions had been affected by the pandemic, those who had not received adequate means or specific training to protect themselves from infection, those who had experienced symptoms, those who had suffered side effects after vaccination, and those who had been hospitalised. The logistic regression analysis predicted the occurrence of psychological distress in this study by the effect of the pandemic on mental/emotional well-being, the working conditions affected during the pandemic, health-related variables, and the age of the worker. The correctly classified percentage was 75.1%. Assessing psychological distress in construction sectors may allow for the identification of vulnerable groups or even help to reduce the number of errors in daily practice and potential risks of occupational injury or illness.

Stress, fear, and anxiety among construction workers: a systematic review.

Objectives: The aim of this review was to assess the possible risk factors arising from working conditions, that could have an impact on the stress, fear, and anxiety of construction workers. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA format in the Pubmed, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycInfo electronic databases on February 3, 2023, using the following key words: anxiety, stress, fear, and construction workers. Methodological quality was assessed using the critical appraisal tools of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Results: A total of 35 studies were included. The results showed a number of conditioning factors for stress, anxiety, and fear among construction workers such as age, inappropriate safety equipment, safety culture, high workload and long working hours, physical pain, low social support from direct supervisor or co-workers, lack of organizational justice and lack of reward, financial situation, maladaptive coping strategies, and characteristics of the pandemic. Conclusions: There are a number of risk factors related to working conditions, organizations, and individuals that can affect the levels of stress, anxiety, and fear among construction workers, such as age, work hardship, safety culture and, especially, the long hours that construction professionals work. This may lead to an increase in the number of occupational accidents and higher associated fatality rates. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022367724, identifier: CRD42022367724.

[Sources used to obtain information on COVID-19 and its impact on mental health.] / Fuentes utilizadas para obtener información sobre la COVID-19 y su impacto en la salud mental.

With the rise of COVID-19, the society has had the need to search for information about the pandemic and the sources used to obtain information have been very diverse, with a greater predominance of social media, traditional media and consultation with loved ones. In addition, an excess of information has been observed in the media that made access and understanding difficult, as well as a constant concern and anxiety about health that caused a need to search excessively or repeatedly for information on health and disease. This information was not always endorsed by the scientific community and during the pandemic there has been the spread of misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 disseminated, mainly through social media. In this sense, both the knowledge and the beliefs apprehended have been able to impact the mental health of the population.

Con la aparición de la COVID-19, la sociedad ha tenido la necesidad de buscar información sobre la pandemia y las fuentes de información usadas para ello han sido muy diversas, con un mayor predominio de las redes sociales, los medios tradicionales y la consulta a las personas allegadas. Además, se ha observado un exceso de información en los medios de comunicación que dificultaba el acceso y el entendimiento, así como una constante preocupación y ansiedad por la salud, lo cual provocaba una necesidad de búsqueda de información excesiva o repetida sobre la salud y la enfermedad. Esta información no siempre estaba avalada por la comunidad científica y durante la pandemia se han sucedido la difusión de información errónea, de las llamadas fake news y de las teorías de conspiración sobre la COVID-19 difundidas, principalmente, a través de las redes sociales. En este sentido, tanto los conocimientos como las creencias aprehendidas han podido impactar en la salud mental de la población.

Fuentes utilizadas para obtener información sobre la COVID-19 y su impacto en la salud mental / ources used to obtain information on COVID-19 and its impact on mental health

Con la aparición de la COVID-19, la sociedad ha tenido la necesidad de buscar información sobre la pandemia y las fuentes de informa-ción usadas para ello han sido muy diversas, con un mayor predominio de las redes sociales, los medios tradicionales y la consulta alas personas allegadas. Además, se ha observado un exceso de información en los medios de comunicación que dificultaba el accesoy el entendimiento, así como una constante preocupación y ansiedad por la salud, lo cual provocaba una necesidad de búsquedade información excesiva o repetida sobre la salud y la enfermedad. Esta información no siempre estaba avalada por la comunidadcientífica y durante la pandemia se han sucedido la difusión de información errónea, de las llamadasfake news y de las teorías deconspiración sobre la COVID-19 difundidas, principalmente, a través de las redes sociales. En este sentido, tanto los conocimientoscomo las creencias aprehendidas han podido impactar en la salud mental de la población.(AU)

With the rise of COVID-19, the society has had the need to search for information about the pandemic and the sources used to obtaininformation have been very diverse, with a greater predominance of social media, traditional media and consultation with lovedones. In addition, an excess of information has been observed in the media that made access and understanding difficult, as well asa constant concern and anxiety about health that caused a need to search excessively or repeatedly for information on health anddisease. This information was not always endorsed by the scientific community and during the pandemic there has been the spreadof misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 disseminated, mainly through social media. In this sense, boththe knowledge and the beliefs apprehended have been able to impact the mental health of the population.(AU)

Administration of Strategic Agreements in Public Hospitals: Considerations to Enhance the Quality and Sustainability of Mergers and Acquisitions.

Merger processes between hospitals have high benefit potential for patients, staff and managers. This integration of health centres can improve the quality and safety in patient care. Additionally, cooperative processes enhance the sustainability of the health system, by increasing team spirit, giving innovative ideas and improving staff satisfaction. In this article, the critical factors for successful hospital mergers and acquisitions in the Public Health System were considered to develop a brief guide to help with the organisation of a merger process. Five sections were designed: Strategic administration and objectives, Staff management, New hospital complex structure, Processes and Results. This guide facilitates the communication between a variety of stakeholders, thus improving the engagement between all members of the new healthcare system. This could be particularly important for countries with large regional variance in the organisation of health care and resources.

Relationship between Night Shifts and Risk of Breast Cancer among Nurses: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The incidence of breast cancer worldwide has increased in recent decades, accounting for 1 in 3 neoplasms in women. Besides, nurses are mainly represented by the female collective, most of them, undertaking working conditions with intensive rotative and night shifts due to the 24-h pace of work of this profession. The objective of this study was to assess the possible relationship between shift work, especially night-time work, and the development of breast cancer among nurses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was carried out through the consultation of the following databases: Cochrane Plus Library, PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Dialnet. Records were selected between 2010 and 2020, in Spanish and English, which covered the association between breast cancer diagnosed among nursing professionals and rotating night shifts. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies were identified after critical reading. Most of the studies found an association between breast cancer and consecutive rotating night shifts prolonged over time. Among the associated factors, the alteration of the circadian rhythm influenced the expression of peripheral clock genes, which was the same as reproductive hormones. The risk of breast cancer in nurses increased during early adulthood and after 5 or more years with 6 or more consecutive nights. CONCLUSIONS: The different studies of this review show significant associations between breast cancer and prolonged rotating night shifts. Similarly, there is a relationship between the alterations in certain circadian rhythm markers (such as melatonin), epigenetic markers (such as telomeres), and breast cancer that would require more studies in order to corroborate these findings.