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Trait and state anxiety in healthcare professionals of intensive care unit

Rasgo y estado de ansiedad en profesionales de salud de unidad de cuidados intensivos

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To estimate trait and state anxiety levels among intensivecare professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Method:

Cross-sectional, analytical study, conducted from April to July 2022, in a teaching hospital in southern Brazil, using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scale.

Results:

Trait and state anxiety were present in more than half of the sample, being associated with gender, age group, having children, weekly workload, time working in the hospital and ICU (p<0.05) for the state; and associated with gender, having children, profession, daily and weekly workload, and time working in the hospital (p<0.05) for the trait.

Conclusion:

Trait and state anxiety were medium to high level for women, young, without children, non-nurses, with a daily shift of 9 to 18 working hours, a weekly workload of more than 40 hours, with less than five years of experience in intensive care and with more than five years of experience working in the institution.

Descriptors:
Anxiety; Health personnel; Occupational health; Nursing

RESUMEN

Objetivo:

Estimar los niveles de ansiedad rasgo y estado entre los profesionales de salud de cuidados intensivos durante la pandemia de Covid-19.

Método:

Estudio transversal, analítico, realizado de abril a julio de 2022, en un hospital escuela del sur de Brasil, utilizando la escala Inventario de Ansiedad Estado-Rasgo.

Resultados:

La ansiedad rasgo y estado estuvo presente en más de la mitad de la muestra, asociándose con el género, grupo etario, tener hijos, carga horaria semanal, tiempo de trabajo en el hospital y UCI (p<0,05) para el estado; y asociado al género, tener hijos, profesión, carga diaria y semanal y tiempo de trabajo en el hospital (p<0,05) para el rasgo.

Conclusión:

La ansiedad rasgo y estado fue media a alta para mujeres, jóvenes, sin hijos, no enfermeras, con jornada diaria de 9 a 18 horas, carga laboral semanal de más de 40 horas, con menos de cinco años de experiencia en terapia cuidados intensivos y tiempo de trabajo en la institución por más de cinco años.

Descriptores:
Ansiedad; Personal de salud; Salud laboral; Enfermería

RESUMO

Objetivo:

Estimar os níveis de ansiedade traço e estado entre profissionais da saúde daterapia intensiva durante a pandemia Covid-19.

Método:

Estudo transversal, analítico, realizado de abril-julho de 2022, num hospital de ensino do sul do Brasil, utilizando a escala Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado.

Resultados:

A ansiedade traço e estado estiveram presentes em mais da metade da amostra, sendo associada ao sexo, faixa etária, ter filhos, carga horária semanal, tempo de trabalho no hospital e na UTI (p<0,05) para o estado; e associada ao sexo, ter filhos, profissão, carga horária diária e semanal, e tempo de trabalho no hospital (p<0,05) para o traço.

Conclusão:

A ansiedade traço e estado foram de nível médio a alto para mulheres, jovens, sem filhos, não enfermeiras, com jornada diária de 9 a 18 horas trabalhadas, carga horária semanal acima de 40 horas, com experiência menor de cinco anos em terapia intensiva e quanto ao tempo de atuação na instituição maior que cinco anos.

Descritores:
Ansiedade; Pessoal de saúde; Saúde ocupacional; Enfermagem

INTRODUCTION

Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are critical environments, in which there are high-pressure situations and the need for immediate decision-making in the professionals’ routine11. Romero-García M, Delgado-Hito P, Galvez-Herrer M, Angel-Sesmero JA, Velasco-Sanz TR, Benito-Aracil L, et al. Moral distress, emotional impact and coping in intensive care unit staff during the outbreak of COVID-19. IntensiveCrit Care Nurs. 2022;70:103206. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2022.103206
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2022.1032...
. With the advancement of the COVID-19 pandemic, ICUs have become crucial in treating the disease, and many professionals started working in this setting due to the emergency situation, however, the qualified workforce and capacity for healthcare were insufficient to meet the demand for severe cases22. Craveiro KL, Rocha DS, Rocha GS, Teixeira ER. Nurses’ challenges in managing COVID-19 carein an Adult Intensive Care Unit. Res Soc Dev. 2022;11(6):e58211629438. doi: https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i6.29438
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i6.29438...
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The massive and sudden increase in demand for ICUs had an impact on the workload and mental health of healthcare professionals. The challenges arising from facing the pandemic can be considered potential stressors, as it is an uncertain scenario with little knowledge, which can negatively contribute to the mental health of healthcare professionals, besides the workplace itself, which corresponds to a critical hospital unit, further contributing to the development of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress33. Greenberg N, Weston D, Hall C, Caulfield T, Williamson V, Fong K. Mental health of staff working in intensive care during COVID-19. Occup Med. 2021;71(2):62-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa220
https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa220...
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Anxiety can be defined as an individual’s response to threatening situations, which results in a state of alert, tension, and unpleasant symptoms of different intensity. Anxiety is divided according to adaptive behavior: trait and state. Trait anxiety refers to the subjective understanding of threats and potential dangerous situations, and state anxiety is determined by momentary unpleasant feelings caused by a threatening situation to the individual44. Bee Seok C, Abd Hamid HS, Mutang JÁ, Ismail R. Psychometric properties of the state-trait anxiety inventory (form y) among Malaysian university students.Sustainability. 2018;10(9):3311. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093311
https://doi.org/10.3390/su10093311...
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Given the above, it is understood that anxiety can affect various aspects of the physical and mental health and performance of healthcare professionals working in ICUs, and, therefore, identifying the presence of anxiety symptoms in these professionals who provided exclusive care to Covid-19 patients during the pandemic period is important to develop actions and work processes aimed at reducing anxiety.

Therefore, the objective of this research was to estimate the levels of trait and state anxiety among intensive care professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

METHOD

This is a cross-sectional and analytical study with a quantitative approach, conducted in a University Hospital Complex (UHC), in the southern region of Brazil, from April to July 2022. Due to the study design, the methodological description was based on the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) for cross-sectional studies55. von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gotzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Lancet. 2007;370(9596):1453-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61602-X
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61...
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All the 159 health professionals (nursing assistants and technicians, nurses, physical therapists, multiprofessional residents and physicians) who met the inclusion criteria (having worked for at least two months in intensive care units during the Covid-19 pandemic period) were invited to participate in the research. From these, healthcare professionals who were absent at the time of data collection or on medical leave and vacation were excluded. Thus, the final sample consisted of 100 professionals, which represented 62.9% of the total.

This is a convenience sample. However, based on a previous study that applied the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to nursing professionals, it was possible to estimate, respectively, 94.6% and 99.9% (p < 0.05) for trait and state anxiety using the binomial test, based on the following parameters: n = 100; alpha = 0.05; prevalence of moderate to high trait anxiety in the present study = 67%; prevalence of moderate to high trait anxiety in the reference study = 82%66. Oliveira LK, Almeida GA, Lelis ER, Tavares M, Fernandes Neto AJ. Temporomandibular disorder and anxiety, quality of sleep, and quality of life in nursing professionals. Braz Oral Res. 2015;29:1-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107BOR-2015.vol29.0070
https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107BOR-201...
; prevalence of moderate to high state anxiety in the present study = 62% and prevalence of moderate to high state anxiety in the reference study = 86%66. Oliveira LK, Almeida GA, Lelis ER, Tavares M, Fernandes Neto AJ. Temporomandibular disorder and anxiety, quality of sleep, and quality of life in nursing professionals. Braz Oral Res. 2015;29:1-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107BOR-2015.vol29.0070
https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107BOR-201...
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Data collection was conducted in intensive care units: surgical (8 beds), cardiology (10 beds), semi-intensive (14 beds), general (12 beds), pediatric (8 beds) and neonatal (10 beds).

Firstly, to begin data collection, the researchers visited the institution's intensive care units and presented the research to those responsible for each sector. After this, data collection took place in person in the intensive care units, conducted in the morning, afternoon and night shifts. All participants, in person, received information regarding the research, such as objective, justification, risks and benefits, legal and ethical issues. After agreeing to participate, the professionals received the tablet on which the research instruments were available on the Google Forms platform, which had the Informed Consent Form (ICF) and the questionnaires used in data collection.

Subsequently, the first instrument for completion was a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire developed for this research, called “Sociodemographic and Occupational Questionnaire”, which consists of 27 questions, with eight items related to the sociodemographic profile and 19 corresponding to occupational aspects.

The second instrument was the STAI, translated and adapted for Brazil77. Spielberger CD, Gorsuch RL, Lushene RD. Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Invetory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press; 1970., formed by 40 statements about the participants’ feelings, divided into two parts, the first of which is classified as trait anxiety, and the second, as state anxiety88. Biaggio AMB, Natalício L. Manual para o Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado (IDATE). Rio de Janeiro: CEPA; 1979.. The STAI response options were based on how the participant felt “right now, at this moment”, classified on a 4-point Likert scale (1-absolutely not; 2-a little; 3- a lot; and 4-very much) and how they “generally feel”, whose scale was also a 4-point Likert scale (1- almost never; 2- sometimes; 3- often; and 4- almost always)99. Biaggio AMB, Natalício L, Spielberger CD. Desenvolvimento da forma experimental em português do Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado (IDATE), de Spielberger. ArqBrasPsic Apl. 1977 [cited 2022 Mar 12];29(3):31-44. Available from: http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/ojs/index.php/abpa/article/view/17827/16571
http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/ojs/inde...
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The STAI has 10 items from the state subscale (1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19 and 20) and nine items from the trait subscale (21, 23, 26, 27, 30, 33, 34, 36 and 39) which are inverted, since they refer to questions about positive feelings. Thus, they were counted in an inverted manner in the sum of the scores, with: 4 equivalent to 1, 3 to 2, and so on. The remaining 29 items are not inverted, as they relate with questions on negative feelings. The final score ranged from 20 to 80 points and anxiety levels were obtained, where 20 to 40 points was a low level of anxiety; 41 to 60 points, medium level of anxiety; and finally, 61 to 80 points, with a high level of anxiety88. Biaggio AMB, Natalício L. Manual para o Inventário de Ansiedade Traço-Estado (IDATE). Rio de Janeiro: CEPA; 1979..

After the data collection stage, the data were organized in a Microsoft Excel® Software database and then transferred to the Stata statistical software (version 13.1), with the support of a statistical expert. The sociodemographic and occupational characteristics of the participants were described using absolute (n) and relative frequencies (%).

Furthermore, the means and standard deviations of trait and state anxiety levels were presented based on sociodemographic and occupational factors, and differences were evaluated using the Student’s t-test or ANOVA at a statistical significance level of 5%.

The research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Complex, opinion number 5,313,848 and Certificate of Presentation of Ethical Appreciation (CAAE): 52215921,0,0000,0096. The ethical precepts of the research were ensured, such as the privacy of participants by signing the ICF and other data collection questionnaires, in which participants provided the printed ICF document and registered their participation in the online document.

RESULTS

A total of 100 healthcare professionals participated in the research, 72% (n=72) were female, 55% (n=55) aged between 30 and 39 years old, 68% (n=68) self-identified as white. Regarding marital status, 60% (n=60) had a stable union, 55% (n=55) had children, 84% (n=84) were residents of the city of Curitiba and 72% (n=72) used their own transportation to get to work (Table 1).

Table 1 -
Characterization of the sociodemographic profile of the sample (n=100). Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, 2023

Regarding the occupational profile of the participants, 73% (n=73) were from the nursing team, 53% (n=53) had a daily workload of 9 to 18 hours, 75% (n=75) worked up to 40 hours per week and 51% (n=51) worked during daytime. Furthermore, 63% (n=63) were CLT workers, 68% (n=68) had no other employment bonds, 35% (n=35) had been working in the institution for at least two years and 52% (n=52) had been working in the ICU for more than five years (Table 2).

Table 2 -
Characterization of the occupational profile of the sample. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, 2023

In relation to the profile of participants regarding Covid-19, 58% (n=58) worked in the Covid-19 ICU for 12 to 24 months and 97% (n=97) underwent a diagnostic test for Covid-19, with 90.73 % (n=88) had the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and 65% (n=65) had a positive result. Due to Covid-19, 56% (n=56) of infected participants had to take 7 to 14 days off work, however, the majority did not require hospitalization (96%; n=96). Furthermore, all participants were vaccinated against Covid-19 and 97% (n=97) had completed the third vaccination dose (Table 3).

Table 3 -
Characterization of the sample profile regarding COVID-19. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, 2023

Regarding trait anxiety, the mean was 45.31, with a standard deviation of 9.54, median of 46.00 and interquartile range between 38.50-51.50. In state anxiety, the mean was 43.12, standard deviation of 11.91, median of 44.50 and interquartile range between 32.50-52.50. Still, in categorical terms, regarding the level of trait anxiety, 33% of healthcare professionals had a low level, 61% a medium level and 6% a high level. In state anxiety, 38% of health professionals had a low level, 57% a medium level and 5% a high level (data not shown).

Regarding sociodemographic characteristics, women, participants aged 22 to 29 years and participants who did not have children had higher mean levels of trait anxiety (p < 0.05). Also, women and participants who did not have children had higher means of state anxiety (p < 0.05) (Table 4).

Table 4
Bivariate association between sample sociodemographic profile characteristics and anxiety. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, 2023

Regarding the occupational profile, participants with a weekly workload of more than 40 hours per week and those who had worked in the ICU for less than five years had higher mean levels of trait anxiety (p < 0.05). Moreover, participants who were not from the nursing field, those with 9 to 18 hours of daily workload, who worked more than 40 hours per week and who had worked at the institution for 5 or more years had higher means of state anxiety (p < 0 .05) (Table 5).

Table 5 -
Bivariate association between sample occupational profile characteristics and anxiety. Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, 2023

DISCUSSION

The profile of the participants is similar to another study conducted with 85 healthcare professionals from an Emergency Room (ER) in Várzea Grande, which also has structural and administrative characteristics similar to the location of the present research, as it is a large tertiary-level public emergency care unit. In this study from Várzea Grande, the prevalence of females (84.8%) was identified, nursing technicians (51%) and nurses (29%), aged between 26 and 60 years, with an average of 39.7 years1010. Bonazza DSS, Schuh C. Avaliação dos níveis de ansiedade em profissionais da saúde: plantonistas diurnos e noturnos. ConnectionLine.2020;(22):4-16. doi: https://doi.org/10.18312%2Fconnectionline.v0i22.1518
https://doi.org/10.18312%2Fconnectionlin...
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The research outcomes also point out to the high presence of trait and state anxiety at a medium to high level, reaching 67% and 62% of participants, respectively. Which means, according to the definition described by Baggio, Natalício and Spielberger (1977), that people with trait anxiety are more likely to feel anxious in ordinary daily circumstances; Those with a state of anxiety react in this way, temporarily, only in certain specific threatening situations1010. Bonazza DSS, Schuh C. Avaliação dos níveis de ansiedade em profissionais da saúde: plantonistas diurnos e noturnos. ConnectionLine.2020;(22):4-16. doi: https://doi.org/10.18312%2Fconnectionline.v0i22.1518
https://doi.org/10.18312%2Fconnectionlin...
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Among the variables that most affect the state of anxiety, gender stands out, where women have a higher level of anxiety when compared to men. This relation between gender and emotional was also highlighted in a study with 90 nurses from a university hospital in Recife (PE) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Symptom Assessment Scale (SAS-40), which covers the dimensions: psychoticism; obsessiveness; somatization; and anxiety, the researchers found that the most prevalent dimension was obsessiveness.

Another noteworthy finding in this research was that professionals without children had a higher mean level of anxiety when compared to professionals with children. In this regard, a research conducted in Rio Grande do Norte with 490 nursing professionals who worked in medium and high complexity healthcare services during the pandemic, identified the positive influence of family and friends in preventing anxiety and depression, with emphasis on importance of dialogue between professionals and their support network1111. Santos KMR, Galvão MHR, Gomes SM, Souza TA, Medeiros AA, Barbosa IR. Depression and anxiety in nursing professionals during the covid-19 pandemic.Esc Anna Nery. 2021;25(spe):e20200370.doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-ean-2020-0370
https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-ean-20...
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It can be inferred, therefore, that family interaction facilitates the exchange of experiences and serves as a support point for coping with problems. However, two literature reviews that aimed at identifying the impact of the pandemic on the population’s mental health, pointed to higher levels of anxiety among professionals with children1212. Silva HGN, Santos LES, Oliveira AKS. Effects of the new Coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of individuals and communities. J Nurs Health. 2020;10(4):e20104007. doi: https://doi.org/10.15210/jonah.v10i4.18677
https://doi.org/10.15210/jonah.v10i4.186...
,1313. Dias IC, Almeida CH, Melo EMM, Dias HC, Luz IS, Santos JLD, et al.The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the population. Rev EletrAcervoCient. 2021;(30):e8218. doi: https://doi.org/10.25248/reac.e8218.2021
https://doi.org/10.25248/reac.e8218.2021...
, which does not corroborate the findings of this study and reveals divergent results regarding the relationship between anxiety and having children, highlighting the need for further research on this topic.

Another finding that deserves importance was the fact that more than half of the participants (58%) had worked in a Covid-19 ICU for a period of 12 to 24 months, which is already a predictive factor for anxiety, given that recent research demonstrates an exacerbation of psychological distress among healthcare professionals during this period, with worsening of depressive, anxious, insomnia and stress symptoms1111. Santos KMR, Galvão MHR, Gomes SM, Souza TA, Medeiros AA, Barbosa IR. Depression and anxiety in nursing professionals during the covid-19 pandemic.Esc Anna Nery. 2021;25(spe):e20200370.doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-ean-2020-0370
https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-ean-20...
,1414. Korkmaz S, Kazgan A, Çekiç S, Tartar AS, Balcı HN, Atmaca M. The anxiety levels, quality of sleep and life and problem-solving skills in healthcare workers employed in COVID-19 services. J ClinNeurosci. 2020(80):131-6. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2020.07.073
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2020.07.0...
,1515. Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, Cai Z, Hu J, Wei N, et al. Factors associated with mental health outcomes among health care workers exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(3):e203976. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen....
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Another study, with 1257 healthcare professionals who worked in the first months (January and February 2020) of the new Coronavirus outbreak, distributed in 34 Chinese hospitals, 60.5% of which were in Wuhan, the epicenter of the pandemic, identified that more than half of them had depressive and stress symptoms, 44.6% had anxious symptoms and 34% insomnia1212. Silva HGN, Santos LES, Oliveira AKS. Effects of the new Coronavirus pandemic on the mental health of individuals and communities. J Nurs Health. 2020;10(4):e20104007. doi: https://doi.org/10.15210/jonah.v10i4.18677
https://doi.org/10.15210/jonah.v10i4.186...
. In both studies, nursing professionals are those most affected by psycho-emotional disorders1414. Korkmaz S, Kazgan A, Çekiç S, Tartar AS, Balcı HN, Atmaca M. The anxiety levels, quality of sleep and life and problem-solving skills in healthcare workers employed in COVID-19 services. J ClinNeurosci. 2020(80):131-6. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2020.07.073
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2020.07.0...
,1515. Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, Cai Z, Hu J, Wei N, et al. Factors associated with mental health outcomes among health care workers exposed to Coronavirus Disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(3):e203976. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen....
.

Regarding nursing professionals specifically, it's worth mentioning the study conducted in Rio Grande do Norte with 490 professionals who worked to cope with COVID-19, where 30.4% of the sample had been diagnosed with some mental disorder in the last year, 39.6% with moderately severe or severe anxiety symptoms and 38% with moderately severe or severe depression. The significant percentage of professionals with Burnout Syndrome (62.4%) stands out in this research, which is characterized by physical and mental exhaustion related to work1111. Santos KMR, Galvão MHR, Gomes SM, Souza TA, Medeiros AA, Barbosa IR. Depression and anxiety in nursing professionals during the covid-19 pandemic.Esc Anna Nery. 2021;25(spe):e20200370.doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-ean-2020-0370
https://doi.org/10.1590/2177-9465-ean-20...
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As highlighted in an integrative literature review, this suffering experienced by professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic was driven by factors such as facing an unknown disease and the difficulties in combating it, the high mortality rate and the lack of PPE, supplies and medicines1616. Duarte AAS, Ribeiro KRA. Factors associated with stress, anxiety and depression in intensive care nursing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rev PesqCuid Fundam. 2022;(14):e11599. doi: https://doi.org/10.9789/2175-5361.rpcfo.v14.11599
https://doi.org/10.9789/2175-5361.rpcfo....
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Part of the sample with the highest mean level of trait anxiety were professionals with a weekly workload of over 40 hours, and those with a higher mean level of anxiety were those with a daily workload of nine to 18 hours. Research conducted with 123 healthcare professionals from a public hospital in the south of the country, identified the presence of common mental disorders in 40% of the sample, as well as exhaustion and burnout in 60% and 41%, respectively. Furthermore, it was also noticed that 45% of participants had a moderate to high perception of stress and that 49% were distant from work, with difficulty concentrating and dedicating themselves to activities. All these factors were associated with intense workload, added to weaknesses in human and material resources in the work environment. As a coping strategy, the study suggested prioritizing rest and breaks in special scale1717. Horta RL, Camargo EG, Barbosa MLL, Lantin PJS, Sette TG, Lucini TCG, et al.Front line staff stress and mental health during COVID-19 pandemic in a general hospital. J Bras Psiquiat. 2021;(70):30-8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/0047-2085000000316
https://doi.org/10.1590/0047-20850000003...
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Regarding time of experience, professionals with less than five years of experience were those who showed more signs of anxiety, which can be justified by the lack of confidence resulting from their short experience. This result was also found in a study conducted with residents of a multiprofessional team at a university hospital in Rio Grande do Norte, where researchers identified the prevalence of moderate to severe anxiety in younger residents and, corroborating these results, a narrative review also correlated the short time of experience with anxiety1818. Dantas ESO, Araújo Filho JD, Silva GWS, Silveira MYM, Dantas MNP, Meira KC. Factors associated with anxiety in multiprofessional health care residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. RevBrasEnferm. 2021;74(Suppl 1):e20200961. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0961
https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0...
,1919. Pereira ACC, Pereira MMA, Silva BLL, Freitas CM, Cruz CS, David DBM, et al. O agravamento dos transtornos de ansiedade em profissionais de saúde no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19. Braz J Hea Rev. 2021;4(2):4094-110. doi: https://doi.org/10.34119/bjhrv4n2-009
https://doi.org/10.34119/bjhrv4n2-009...
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Through the results of this research, it was possible to identify the necessary demands to the implementation of strategies aimed at promoting mental health and preventing mental illness among healthcare professionals, focusing on sensitive topics such as gender, inequalities and equity at workplace. It is essential to emphasize the importance of healthcare services regulating and monitoring the work process/organization to reduce the exposure of healthcare professionals to psychosocial risks and physical and emotional exhaustion. It is important for the nursing category, the largest group of participants in this research, the approval of a minimum wage linked to a reduction in weekly working hours so that it can contribute to a reduced workload and improved quality of life.

Regarding the limitations of the study, stand out the sample size, the research location being only a public hospital, the use of an online platform for data collection and the absence of previous measures of anxiety with the study population. It is necessary to conduct future research to expand the population studied and covering public and private health services in different Brazilian regions, with the aim of deepening comparative analyses and providing more information that points to actions for health promotion of these professionals in their workplace. It is believed that the results found in this research provide valuable information that identifies the main causes of anxiety levels among ICU healthcare professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic, which can contribute to the implementation of actions within healthcare services aimed at promoting mental health and preventing mental illness among these professionals.

CONCLUSION

The present research estimated the levels of trait and state anxiety among healthcare professionals working in ICUs during the Covid-19 pandemic, and concluded that the participants who had the higher mean trait anxiety were women, aged 22 to 29 years old, without children, non-nurses, with 9 to 18 hours of work per day, weekly working hours over 40 hours, less than five years of experience in intensive care, and more than five years of institutional experience.

In view of the findings, it is evident that there is a need to alleviate anxiety among healthcare professionals in ICU, through compliance with regulated working hours, rest times, as well as the provision of suitable conditions for carrying out their work, along with psychological support by healthcare services.

REFERENCES

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    » https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2022.103206
  • 2. Craveiro KL, Rocha DS, Rocha GS, Teixeira ER. Nurses’ challenges in managing COVID-19 carein an Adult Intensive Care Unit. Res Soc Dev. 2022;11(6):e58211629438. doi: https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i6.29438
    » https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i6.29438
  • 3. Greenberg N, Weston D, Hall C, Caulfield T, Williamson V, Fong K. Mental health of staff working in intensive care during COVID-19. Occup Med. 2021;71(2):62-7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa220
    » https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa220
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Edited by

Associate editor:

Gabriella de Andrade Boska

Editor-in-chief:

João Lucas Campos de Oliveira

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    13 Nov 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    02 Mar 2023
  • Accepted
    30 June 2023
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