Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy.
Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2023 Oct;58(10):1549-1559. doi: 10.1007/s00127-023-02475-3. Epub 2023 Apr 8.
Research has highlighted that the exposure of healthcare professionals to the COVID-19 pandemic for over two years can lead to the development and persistence of symptoms characteristic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with serious consequences on both the individual well-being and the quality of care provided. The present study was aimed at investigating the role of benefit finding in moderating post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) over time.
The longitudinal study, conducted between April and October 2020, involved 226 Italian health workers (44.7% nurses and midwives, 35% doctors, 20.3% technical and rehabilitation professionals), who filled out an online survey at the beginning of the study (T), after three months (T), and after six months (T). Participants (77.4% women; mean age = 41.93, SD = 12.06) completed the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and Benefit Finding, a 17-item questionnaire measuring the perceived level of positive consequences derived from stressful experiences. A hierarchical regression analysis highlighted the moderating effect of benefit finding (T) on the association between PTSS values at T and T.
A buffering effect was observed, with higher benefit finding levels reducing the magnitude of the bivariate association between PTSS assessed at the beginning and at the end of the study.
Findings suggest the potential mental health related benefits of interventions allowing health professionals to identify positive aspects in the experience of working under prolonged emergency circumstances, such as the pandemic ones.
研究表明，医疗保健专业人员在 COVID-19 大流行中暴露超过两年可能导致创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）特征症状的发展和持续存在，这对个人福祉和提供的护理质量都有严重影响。本研究旨在探讨获益发现在随时间缓解创伤后应激症状（PTSS）方面的作用。
这项纵向研究于 2020 年 4 月至 10 月进行，涉及 226 名意大利卫生工作者（44.7%为护士和助产士，35%为医生，20.3%为技术和康复专业人员），他们在研究开始时（T）、三个月后（T）和六个月后（T）填写了一份在线调查。参与者（77.4%为女性；平均年龄为 41.93，标准差为 12.06）完成了 DSM-5 创伤后应激障碍检查表（PCL-5）和获益发现，这是一个衡量从压力经历中获得的积极后果的感知水平的 17 项问卷。分层回归分析突出了获益发现（T）对 T 和 T 之间 PTSS 值关联的调节作用。
观察到缓冲效应，较高的获益发现水平降低了研究开始和结束时评估的 PTSS 之间的双变量关联的幅度。
研究结果表明，允许卫生专业人员在长时间紧急情况下（如大流行期间）识别工作经历中的积极方面的干预措施可能具有潜在的心理健康相关益处。
