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Introduction: The COVID-19 crisis created a lot of problems in people's lives. Different lifestyles, mental health, communication, rituals and traditions, particularly those involved in mourning, have changed drastically. Medical staff faced numerous critically ill patients every day. This greatly distressed the staff, especially the ICU staff. The end result was considerable amounts of mental distress for the medical staff who lost family members to COVID-19 making the distress even more complex., Methods: We carried out this qualitative research to study the grief experiences of 12 Iranian ICU staff members at the Rasoul Akram Hospital who had experienced the loss of a family member to the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the effects of how their own grief experience and how constant exposure to critically ill patients influenced their work with patients. All semi-structured interviews were held in the presence of a faculty member of the psychiatry department of Iran University of Medical Sciences. The interview on the grief experience among ICU staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, consists of 4 issues: Familiarity, Experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, Grieving the loss of a family member and Effects of parallel grief., Results: We found five common themes in the result of the experiences of the participants based on content analysis. These consisted of: complex grieving process, new experiences for coping with loss, more empathy for patients, change the meaning of death, and the need for support in work places. Likewise, there were 22 sub themes., Conclusion: Paying attention to the details of staff members' life, gender differences, and cultural aspects can give us a better understanding and perception of their grief experiences. This understanding brings out valuable points which can help policy makers pass better laws for the wellbeing of society and people in order to promote leadership in turbulent times., (Copyright © 2022 Nohesara, Saeidi, Mosavari, Ghalichi and Alebouyeh.)

Background: Poor sleep quality is linked to physiological dysfunction, which increases the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, and other medical conditions. Despite the known health risks of sleep disturbances, literature is still scant regarding sleep quality and its associated factors among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of poor sleep quality and its associated factors among healthcare professionals at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 418 healthcare professionals participated in the study. The study participants were chosen using the stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the sleep quality of participants. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression models were used. p ≤ 0.05 was used to declare statistically significant variables. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 30.7 years (SD ± 6.3). The overall prevalence of poor sleep quality was 58.9% [95% CI (54.2, 63.6%)]. Being female [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.9, 95% CI (1.2, 2.9)], being a shift worker [AOR = 5.7, 95% CI (2.3, 14.3), not performing regular exercise [AOR = 2.08 (1.2-3.6)], being a khat chewer [AOR = 3.1, 95% CI (1.2, 7.6)], and having depressive symptoms [AOR = 2.6, 95% CI (1.3, 6.8)] were significantly associated with higher odds of having poor sleep quality. Conclusion: The prevalence of poor sleep quality among healthcare professionals was found to be high. As a result, we recommend that healthcare providers at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital focus on early regular screening for sleep disturbances and pay special attention to shift work schedules and behaviors such as khat chewing, exercise, and depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dispositional traits of wellbeing and stress-reaction are strong predictors of mood symptoms following stressful life events, and the COVID-19 pandemic introduced many life stressors, especially for healthcare workers. Methods: We longitudinally investigated the relationships among positive and negative temperament group status (created according to wellbeing and stress-reaction personality measures), burnout (exhaustion, interpersonal disengagement), COVID concern (e.g., health, money worries), and moral injury (personal acts, others' acts) as predictors of generalized anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms in 435 healthcare workers. Participants were employees in healthcare settings in North Central Florida who completed online surveys monthly for 8 months starting in October/November 2020. Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire subscale scores for stress-reaction and wellbeing were subjected to K-means cluster analyses that identified two groups of individuals, those with high stress-reaction and low wellbeing (negative temperament) and those with the opposite pattern defined as positive temperament (low stress-reaction and high wellbeing). Repeated measures ANOVAs assessed all time points and ANCOVAs assessed the biggest change at timepoint 2 while controlling for baseline symptoms. Results and Discussion: The negative temperament group reported greater mood symptoms, burnout, and COVID concern, than positive temperament participants overall, and negative participants' scores decreased over time while positive participants' scores increased over time. Burnout appeared to most strongly mediate this group-by-time interaction, with the burnout exhaustion scale driving anxiety and depression symptoms. PTSD symptoms were also related to COVID-19 health worry and negative temperament. Overall, results suggest that individuals with higher stress-reactions and more negative outlooks on life were at risk for anxiety, depression, and PTSD early in the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas individuals with positive temperament traits became more exhausted and thus more symptomatic over time. Targeting interventions to reduce mood symptoms in negative temperament individuals and prevent burnout/exhaustion in positive temperament individuals early in an extended crisis may be an efficient and effective approach to reduce the mental health burden on essential workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses are highly prone to occupational stress and burnout, affecting their physical and mental health. The occurrence of the pandemic and related events increased nurses' workload and further exacerbated their stress and burnout. This work investigates occupational stress and burnout experienced by ICU nurses working with COVID and non-COVID patients. Method: A prospective longitudinal mixed-methods study was conducted with a cohort of ICU nurses working in medical ICU (COVID unit; n = 14) and cardiovascular ICU (non-COVID unit; n = 5). Each participant was followed for six 12-h shifts. Data on occupational stress and burnout prevalence were collected using validated questionnaires. Physiological indices of stress were collected using wrist-worn wearable technologies. Participants elaborated on the causes of stress experienced each shift by completing open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using statistical and qualitative methods. Results: Participants caring for COVID patients at the COVID unit were 3.71 times more likely to experience stress (p < 0.001) in comparison to non-COVID unit participants. No differences in stress levels were found when the same participants worked with COVID and non-COVID patients at different shifts (p = 0.58) at the COVID unit. The cohorts expressed similar contributors to stress, based in communication tasks, patient acuity, clinical procedures, admission processes, proning, labs, and assisting coworkers. Conclusion: Nurses in COVID units, irrespective of whether they care for a COVID patient, experience occupational stress and burnout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Sleep disturbance and mental health are challenges for healthcare workers (HCWs). Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, they experienced more severe sleep and mental health problems. However, the association between sleep disturbance and the mental health of HCWs is still controversial. This study aimed to systematically review the relationship by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis. Method: Two researchers retrieved the literature from Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Psyclnfo, and Cochrane Library from the establishment of the databases until November 20, 2021. We used the New Castle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to evaluate the risk of bias in prospective research and cross-sectional research, respectively. The major exposure was HCWs' sleep disturbance, and the major outcome was mental health. The correlation coefficients (r), regression coefficients (β) and odds ratios (OR) of the included studies were integrated. Result: Fifty-nine studies were included for qualitative analysis, of which 30 studies could be combined and entered into quantitative analysis. There were 23 studies during the COVID-19 pandemic among the 59 included studies. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the correlation coefficient between sleep disturbance and mental health was 0.43 (95% CI: 0.39-0.47). HCWs with sleep disturbance had a 3.74 (95% CI: 2.76-5.07) times higher risk of mental health problems than those without sleep disturbance. The correlation coefficient during the COVID-19 epidemic was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.37-0.53), while it was 0.40 (95% CI: 0.36-0.44) during the non-epidemic period. Subgroup analysis compared the OR results in epidemic and non-epidemic periods of COVID-19, which were 4.48 (95% CI: 2.75-5.07) and 3.74 (95% CI: 2.74-7.32), respectively. Conclusion: Sleep disturbance and mental health problems were positively correlated among HCWs. Particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic, more attention should be given to this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insomnia is common among healthcare workers (HCWs), especially those working in tertiary hospitals. This study aimed to clarify whether gender differences in insomnia could be explained by gender differences in work characteristics and family responsibilities among HCWs in tertiary hospitals in Taiwan. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 22 departments of two tertiary hospitals in Northern Taiwan from December 2018 to March 2019. All data were obtained by a self-administered questionnaire given when participants underwent annual health check-ups. Insomnia was evaluated using the Chinese Athens Insomnia Scale. Work characteristics and family responsibilities were as follows: department, working hours, shift work, visual display terminals used at work, demand-control-support model, burnout level, breadwinner status, living conditions, and caregiver status. Data of 2,811 participants (317 men, 11.3%; 2,494 women, 88.7%) were analyzed (response rate: men, 85%; women, 88%). Logistic regression analysis examined howwork characteristics and family responsibilities explained gender differences in insomnia. Results: The prevalence of insomnia in women (61.7%) was significantly higher than that in men (52.7%), and gender differences strengthened after adjusting for work characteristics and family responsibilities [odds ratio: 1.45 (1.11–1.90) and 1.62 (1.18–2.22), p < 0.01]. Stratified analyses revealed that significant gender differences were found among HCWs with comparatively unfavorable work and family conditions. Furthermore, women had a higher association of insomnia owing to these factors. Conclusion: These results suggest that gender differences in insomnia among HCWs are mainly explained by gender differences in work characteristics and family responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]