COVID-19 PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT DURING THE ITALIAN LOCKDOWN: A STUDY ON HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL

Introduction. COVID-19 has rapidly spread worldwide, with more than 145 million people infected. In this scenario, healthcare workers are among the professionals most at risk to experience burnout and other psychological symptoms. Objectives. This work aimed to understand the short-term psychological effects COVID-19 pandemic may have on healthcare professionals. Specifically, the main goal was to examine organizational and individual factors’ impact on healthcare workers’ burnout and psychological symptoms during the lockdown. Methods. 120 healthcare professionals completed a survey, designed to measure different aspects of participants’ working conditions and psychological response to the pandemic. Specifically, the survey consisted of several questions about socio-demographic data and workplace information (e.g., number of patients encountered during a typical working day and workload). Additionally, participants had to complete a section concerning COVID-19 emergency measures (e.g., risk perception). Lastly, to analyze the psychological impact of COVID-19 outbreak on healthcare workers, measures of burnout and mental health-related symptoms were included. Results. Participants’ burnout was positively and significantly predicted by work stress, workload and exposure to patients exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms and negatively predicted by organizational support, work engagement and by the adoption of adequate coping strategies. Furthermore, our findings revealed that the higher work stress, the more psychological symptoms were experienced by participants. Conclusion. These findings highlight the importance of considering work-related conditions and individual psychological variables to promptly support healthcare personnel during COVID-19 outbreak.