Włoszczak-Szubzda Anna, Goniewicz Mariusz, Gómez-Salgado Juan, Al-Wathinani Ahmed M, Goniewicz Krzysztof
Faculty of Human Sciences, WSEI Academy, Lublin, Poland.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Mar 14;104(11):e41821. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000041821.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of healthcare workers globally. Given the critical role these professionals play, understanding the prevalence and predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among healthcare workers is crucial for developing targeted interventions. Comprehensive data on the predictors of PTSD symptoms within this population remain limited. This cross-sectional study surveyed 852 healthcare workers across 4 Polish regions between 2021 and 2022. Data were collected using the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), which was culturally adapted and validated for Polish respondents. To identify key predictors of PTSD symptoms, researchers employed various statistical methods: Descriptive Statistics summarized key variables (e.g. age, job tenure) to provide an overview of data distribution and sample characteristics. Pearson Correlations examined linear relationships among variables like age, work experience, and PTSD severity, ensuring no multicollinearity through variance inflation factor checks. t-Tests and Mann-Whitney U tests compared PTSD symptom severity across demographic and professional subgroups, accounting for normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. And Hierarchical Regression Analysis identified significant predictors, incorporating demographic factors first and work-related variables (e.g. fear for personal health) in a second step. A total of 88.1% of participants were female, and 82.6% were nurses. The overall prevalence of PTSD symptoms was high, with a mean total PTSD score of 37.87. Gender differences were significant, with women reporting higher scores across the PTSD subscales, including avoidance and hyperarousal. Nurses had significantly higher intrusion symptoms compared to other professionals. Fear for personal health was the strongest predictor of PTSD symptoms (β = 0.15, P < .001), explaining 11% of the variance in the final regression model (R2 = 0.11, P < .001). The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted mental health interventions, particularly for women and nurses, who are disproportionately affected by PTSD during the pandemic. Predictive models should guide the development of support programs to mitigate the long-term psychological impact of COVID-19 and ensure better preparedness for future pandemics. The significant influence of fear for personal health on PTSD outcomes highlights the importance of protective measures and psychological support for frontline healthcare workers.
新冠疫情对全球医护人员的心理健康产生了重大影响。鉴于这些专业人员所发挥的关键作用，了解医护人员中创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的患病率及其预测因素对于制定针对性干预措施至关重要。关于这一人群中PTSD症状预测因素的全面数据仍然有限。这项横断面研究在2021年至2022年期间对波兰4个地区的852名医护人员进行了调查。数据收集使用了创伤后应激障碍检查表-平民版（PCL-C），该检查表针对波兰受访者进行了文化适应性调整和验证。为了确定PTSD症状的关键预测因素，研究人员采用了多种统计方法：描述性统计总结了关键变量（如年龄、工作年限），以概述数据分布和样本特征。皮尔逊相关性检验考察了年龄、工作经验和PTSD严重程度等变量之间的线性关系，并通过方差膨胀因子检验确保不存在多重共线性。t检验和曼-惠特尼U检验比较了不同人口统计学和专业亚组之间的PTSD症状严重程度，并使用柯尔莫哥洛夫-斯米尔诺夫检验来检验正态性。分层回归分析确定了显著的预测因素，第一步纳入人口统计学因素，第二步纳入与工作相关的变量（如对个人健康的恐惧）。共有88.1%的参与者为女性，82.6%为护士。PTSD症状的总体患病率较高，PTSD总平均分3为7.87。性别差异显著，女性在PTSD各子量表上的得分更高，包括回避和过度警觉。与其他专业人员相比，护士的侵入性症状明显更高。对个人健康的恐惧是PTSD症状最强的预测因素（β = 0.15，P < 0.001），在最终回归模型中解释了11%的方差变异（R2 = 0.11，P < 0.001）。研究结果强调了迫切需要针对性的心理健康干预措施，特别是针对女性和护士，她们在疫情期间受PTSD影响的比例过高。预测模型应指导支持项目的开发，以减轻新冠疫情的长期心理影响，并确保为未来的大流行做好更好的准备。对个人健康的恐惧对PTSD结果的显著影响凸显了为一线医护人员提供保护措施和心理支持的重要性。
