Healthcare Workers' Anxiety Levels and Mindful Attention Awareness Towards the COVID-19 Pandemic

Year 2024, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 23 - 35, 30.04.2024

Füsun Fakılı , Nurgül Özdemir

https://doi.org/10.54803/sauhsd.1330263

Abstract

Aim: Mindful attention awareness and anxiety levels of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic were unknown. In this study, we aimed to measure the behavioral changes of healthcare workers together with their anxiety and mindful attention awareness levels during the pandemic.
Methods: A brief mental health examination was conducted on healthcare workers who were actively involved in the COVID-19 pandemic to identify any dysfunctional anxiety issues associated with COVID-19. A survey containing behavioral changes, as well as a coronavirus anxiety scale and mindful attention awareness scale were administered to healthcare workers during the pandemic.
Results: A total of 146 healthcare workers, 56.2% of women were included in the study. The coronavirus anxiety scale score values of the participants were a mean of 4±4.4 (Min=0-Max=20), and 13.7% of them had high levels of anxiety. The mean score for the mindful attention awareness scale score was a mean 59.4±13.9 (Min=22-Max=90). Females had higher coronavirus anxiety scale scores (p=0.003), but males had greater mindful attention awareness scale scores (p=0.001).
It was determined that the coronavirus anxiety scale total scores averages of healthcare workers whose sleep (p=0.001), out-of-hospital clothing (p=0.006), and eating habits (p=0.017) changed during the pandemic were statistically significantly higher (p<0.05). Healthcare workers with higher coronavirus anxiety scores used more prophylactic drugs and supplements/vitamins after contact with COVID-19 patients.
Conclusions: Although the coronavirus anxiety scale score was below average and the mindful attention awareness scale score was above average, healthcare workers' behaviors changed during the pandemic. Coronavirus anxiety and mindful attention awareness scale levels affected the behaviors of healthcare workers. Psychosocial support programs must be provided to healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Keywords

COVID-19, Anxiety, Healthcare workers, Mindfulness, Behavior, Pandemics

Supporting Institution

yok

Thanks

We thank Prof. Seval Kul for the statistical assistance of the study.

Sağlık Çalışanlarının COVID-19 Pandemisine Yönelik Kaygı Düzeyleri ve Bilinçli Farkındalıkları

Abstract

Amaç: COVID-19 pandemisinde sağlık çalışanlarının bilinçli farkındalık ve kaygı seviyeleri bilinmiyordu. Bu çalışmada sağlık çalışanlarının pandemi sürecindeki davranış değişikliklerini anksiyete ve bilinçli farkındalık seviyeleri ile birlikte ölçmeyi amaçladık.
Yöntem: Çalışmaya COVID-19 pandemisinde aktif olarak görev yapan sağlık çalışanları katılmıştır. Sağlık çalışanları, olası COVID-19 ile ilişkili işlevsel olmayan kaygı sorunlarını bulmak için kısa bir akıl sağlığı değerlendirmesine tabi tutuldu. Pandemi sırasında sağlık çalışanlarına davranış değişikliklerini içeren bir anket, koronavirüs kaygı ölçeği (CAS) ve bilinçli farkındalık ölçeği (BFÖ) uygulandı.
Bulgular: Çalışmaya %56,2'si kadın olmak üzere toplam 146 Sağlık çalışanı dahil edilmiştir. Katılımcıların CAS değerleri ortalama 4 ± 4,4 (Min=0-Max=20) olup, %13,7'si yüksek kaygıya sahiptir. BFÖ değeri ortalama 59,4 ± 13,9 (Min=22-Max=90) idi. CAS puanları kadınlarda (P=0.003), BFÖ puanları erkeklerde (P=0.001) daha yüksekti. Pandemi sürecinde uyku alışkanlıkları (P=0.001), hastane dışı giyim alışkanlıkları (P=0.006) ve beslenme alışkanlıkları (P=0.017) değişen sağlık çalışanlarının CAS puanları daha yüksekti ve sosyal medyayı daha çok kullanıyorlardı. CAS skorları daha yüksek olan sağlık çalışanları, COVID-19 hastalarıyla temas ettikten sonra daha fazla profilaktik ilaç ve takviye/vitamin kullanmıştır.
Sonuçlar: CAS ortalamanın altında ve MAAS skoru toplamda ortalamanın üzerinde olmasına rağmen, pandemi sırasında sağlık çalışanlarının davranışları değişti. CAS ve BFÖ seviyeleri, sağlık çalışanlarının davranışlarını etkiledi. Pandemi sırasında sağlık çalışanlarına psikososyal destek programları sağlanmalıdır. Sosyal medya, pandemi sırasında bilgi ve destek hizmetlerini yaymanın daha etkili bir yolu olabilir.

Keywords

COVID-19, Kaygı düzeyleri, Sağlık çalışanları, Bilinçli farkındalık, Pandemi

References

• World Health Organisation. WHO’s COVID-19 response [Internet]. [cited 2022 Jul 5]. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/interactive-timeline (Erişim Tarihi:5 Temmuz 2022)
• Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15;395(10223):497–506.
• Tenforde MW, Self WH, Adams K, Gaglani M, Ginde AA, McNeal T, et al. Association Between mRNA Vaccination and COVID-19 Hospitalization and Disease Severity. JAMA. 2021 Nov 23;326(20):2043–54.
• World Health Organisation. [cited 2024 Jan 6]. COVID-19 cases | WHO COVID-19 dashboard. Available from: https://data.who.int/dashboards/covid19/cases (Erişim Tarihi:6 Ocak 2024)
• Li Q, Guan X, Wu P, Wang X, Zhou L, Tong Y, et al. Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 2020 Mar 26;382(13):1199–207.
• Centers for Disease Control and Preventitaion (CDC). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2020 [cited 2022 Jul 5]. COVID Data Tracker. Available from: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker (Erişim Tarihi:5 Temmuz 2022)
• Kang L, Ma S, Chen M, Yang J, Wang Y, Li R, et al. Impact on mental health and perceptions of psychological care among medical and nursing staff in Wuhan during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease outbreak: A cross-sectional study. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Jul;87:11–7.
• Brown KW, Ryan RM. The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003 Apr;84(4):822–48.
• Demir V. Bilinçli Farkındalık Temelli Kognitif Terapi Programının Bireylerin Depresif Belirti Düzeyleri Üzerine Etkisi. Psikoloji Çalışmaları. 2015 Jul 13;35(1):15–26.
• Winnebeck E, Fissler M, Gärtner M, Chadwick P, Barnhofer T. Brief training in mindfulness meditation reduces symptoms in patients with a chronic or recurrent lifetime history of depression: A randomized controlled study. Behav Res Ther. 2017 Dec;99:124–30.
• Hofmann SG, Gómez AF. Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2017 Dec;40(4):739–49.
• Ritvo P, Vora K, Irvine J, Mongrain M, Azargive S, Azam MA, et al. Reductions in Negative Automatic Thoughts in Students Attending Mindfulness Tutorials Predicts Increased Life Satisfaction. International Journal of Educational Psychology. 2013 Oct 24;2(3):272–96.
• Schmiedeler S, Reichhardt A, Schneider L, Niklas F. Trait mindfulness, self-efficacy, and coping strategies during COVID-19. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2023 Nov;36(6):674–89.
• Yıldırım D, Çiriş Yıldız C. The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Breathing and Music Therapy Practice on Nurses’ Stress, Work-Related Strain, and Psychological Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Holist Nurs Pract. 2022 Jun 1;36(3):156–65.
• Lee SA. Coronavirus Anxiety Scale: A brief mental health screener for COVID-19 related anxiety. Death Stud. 2020;44(7):393–401.
• Bi̇çer İ, Çakmak C, Demi̇r H. Coronavirus Anxiety Scale Short Form: Turkish Validity and Reliability Study. Anadolu Kliniği Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi. 2020 May 22;216–25.
• Özyeşi̇l Z, Arslan C, Kesi̇ci̇ Ş, Deni̇z ME, Üniversitesi S. Bilinçli Farkındalık Ölçeği’ni Türkçeye Uyarlama Çalışması Adaptation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale into Turkish. :12. Eğitim ve Bilim, 2011; 36 (160), 225-235.
• Grasselli G, Greco M, Zanella A, Albano G, Antonelli M, Bellani G, et al. Risk Factors Associated With Mortality Among Patients With COVID-19 in Intensive Care Units in Lombardy, Italy. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Oct 1;180(10):1345–55.
• Jordan RE, Adab P, Cheng KK. Covid-19: risk factors for severe disease and death. BMJ. 2020 Mar 26;368:m1198.
• Kokturk N, Babayigit C, Kul S, Duru Cetinkaya P, Atis Nayci S, Argun Baris S, et al. The predictors of COVID-19 mortality in a nationwide cohort of Turkish patients. Respir Med. 2021 Jul;183:106433.
• Belen H. Fear of COVID-19 and Mental Health: The Role of Mindfulness in During Times of Crisis. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2022;20(1):607–18.
• Aktepe İ, Tolan Ö. Bilinçli Farkındalık: Güncel Bir Gözden Geçirme. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar. 2020 Dec 28;12(4):534–61.
• Arslan İ. BİLİNÇLİ FARKINDALIK, DEPRESYON DÜZEYLERİ VE ALGILANAN STRES ARASINDAKİ İLİŞKİ. Birey ve Toplum Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2018 Dec 30;8(2):73–86.
• Xiong N, Fritzsche K, Pan Y, Löhlein J, Leonhart R. The psychological impact of COVID-19 on Chinese healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2022 Aug;57(8):1515–29.
• Asmundson GJG, Taylor S. How health anxiety influences responses to viral outbreaks like COVID-19: What all decision-makers, health authorities, and health care professionals need to know. J Anxiety Disord. 2020 Apr;71:102211.
• Rodriguez-Besteiro S, Beltran-Velasco AI, Tornero-Aguilera JF, Martínez-González MB, Navarro-Jiménez E, Yáñez-Sepúlveda R, et al. Social Media, Anxiety and COVID-19 Lockdown Measurement Compliance. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 1;20(5):4416.
• Glasdam S, Sandberg H, Stjernswärd S, Jacobsen FF, Grønning AH, Hybholt L. Nurses’ use of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic-A scoping review. PLoS One. 2022;17(2):e0263502.
• Thomas S, Patel D, Bittel B, Wolski K, Wang Q, Kumar A, et al. Effect of High-Dose Zinc and Ascorbic Acid Supplementation vs Usual Care on Symptom Length and Reduction Among Ambulatory Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The COVID A to Z Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e210369.
• Entrenas Castillo M, Entrenas Costa LM, Vaquero Barrios JM, Alcalá Díaz JF, López Miranda J, Bouillon R, et al. Effect of calcifediol treatment and best available therapy versus best available therapy on intensive care unit admission and mortality among patients hospitalized for COVID-19: A pilot randomized clinical study. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2020 Oct;203:105751.
• Ling SF, Broad E, Murphy R, Pappachan JM, Pardesi-Newton S, Kong MF, et al. High-Dose Cholecalciferol Booster Therapy is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Mortality in Patients with COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Multi-Centre Observational Study. Nutrients. 2020 Dec 11;12(12):E3799.
• Boulware DR, Pullen MF, Bangdiwala AS, Pastick KA, Lofgren SM, Okafor EC, et al. A Randomized Trial of Hydroxychloroquine as Postexposure Prophylaxis for Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2020 Aug 6;383(6):517–25.
• Li Y, Liang M, Gao L, Ayaz Ahmed M, Uy JP, Cheng C, et al. Face masks to prevent transmission of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Infect Control. 2021 Jul;49(7):900–6.
• Huang F, Armando M, Dufau S, Florea O, Brouqui P, Boudjema S. COVID-19 outbreak and healthcare worker behavioural change toward hand hygiene practices. J Hosp Infect. 2021 May;111:27–34