Table 2.
Psychological distress and work-related difficulties.
| Variables | Lombardy n = 212 |
Quebec n = 184 |
|---|---|---|
| Fear of contagion | ||
| Perceived risk of contracting COVID-19 at work a | 1.6 (0.7) | 1.5 (0.6) |
| Concern of contracting COVID-19 at work b * | 1.1 (0.9) | 1.3 (0.7) |
| Maslach Burnout Inventory | ||
| Staff above the “moderate emotional exhaustion” cut off | 45 (21.2%) | 52 (28.3%) |
| Staff above the “severe emotional exhaustion” cut off | 36 (17.0%) | 66 (33.0%) |
| Staff above the “moderate depersonalization” cut off | 41 (21.1%) | 49 (26.6%) |
| Staff above the “severe depersonalization” cut off | 46 (23.7%) | 52 (28.3%) |
| Common mental health symptoms | ||
| GAD7 (anxiety symptoms), mean score (SD) | 5.1 (3.4) | 4.9 (4.4) |
| Staff above the “moderate anxiety” cut off | 28 (13.2%) | 31 (16.9%) |
| Staff above the “severe anxiety” cut off | 3 (1.4%) | 7 (3.8%) |
| PHQ9 (depression symptoms), mean score (SD) | 4.8 (2.9) | 5.5 (4.5) |
| Staff above the “moderate depression” cut off | 15 (7.0%) | 32 (15.3%) |
| Staff above the “severe depression” cut off | 2 (0.9%) | 8 (2.3%) |
| Self-reported narratives of work-related difficulties | ||
| Changes in workload and tasks ** | 61 (30.4%) | 78 (42.6%) |
| Perceived lack of organizational support ** | 41 (20.1%) | 68 (37.1%) |
| Pandemic context reduced the quality of mental health care ** | 87 (42.9%) | 39 (21.3%) |
| Emotional distress | 27 (13.4%) | 35 (18.8%) |
| Difficulties in respecting safety norms * | 12 (5.8%) | 22 (11.9%) |
| Lack of support from colleagues | 14 (6.8%) | 14 (7.4%) |
| Work-life balance | 14 (6.8%) | 5 (2.5%) |
* = p < 0.05; ** = p < 0.01.; a = item ranged from 1 (low probability) to 3 (high probability); b = item ranged from 0 (no concern) to 3 (high concern); GAD7 = General Anxiety Disorder 7 questionnaire; PHQ9 = Patient Health Questionnaire 9.