Open AccessStress and substance abuse among workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in an intensive care unit: A cross-sectional study
Author(s) -
Diego Vinicius Santinelli Pestana,
Dante Raglione,
Luiz Dalfior,
Caroline de Souza Pereira Liberatti,
Elisangela Camargo Braga,
Vitor Augusto de Lima Ezequiel,
Adriana da Silva Alves,
Juliana Gil Mauro,
José Omar de Araújo Dias,
Paulo Thadeu Fantinato Moreira,
Bruno Del Bianco Madureira,
Lilian Petroni Paiva,
Bruno Melo Nóbrega de Lucena,
João Manoel da Silva,
Luíz Marcelo Sá Malbouisson
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0263892
Subject(s) - medicine , cross sectional study , pandemic , substance abuse , workload , observational study , psychiatry , intensive care unit , occupational stress , alcohol abuse , occupational safety and health , young adult , burnout , covid-19 , clinical psychology , gerontology , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , computer science , operating system
Objective Professionals working in intensive care units (ICUs) during the COVID-19 pandemic have been exposed to stressful situations and increased workload. The association between symptoms of traumatic stress disorders, substance abuse and personal/occupational characteristics of Brazilian COVID-19-ICU workers is still to be addressed. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence of those conditions and to find if those associations exist. Methods In this observational, single-center, cross-sectional study, all professionals working in a COVID-19 ICU were invited to fill an anonymous form containing screening tools for traumatic stress disorders and substance abuse, and a section with questions regarding personal and occupational information. Results Three hundred seventy-six ICU professionals participated. Direct exposure to patients infected by COVID-19, history of relatives infected by COVID-19, and sex (female) were significantly associated with signs and symptoms of traumatic stress disorders. 76.5% of the participants had scores compatible with a diagnosis of traumatic stress disorders. Moreover, the prevalence of scores suggestive of Tobacco and Alcohol abuse were 11.7% and 24.7%, respectively. Conclusion ICU workers had significantly elevated scores on both screening forms. Providing psycho-social support to ICU professionals may prevent future problems with traumatic stress disorders or substance abuse.