Healthcare Workers Facing COVID-19: The More Exposed, the Less Stressed

Background: Since the outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus, healthcare workers found themselves on the front lines, exposed to a high risk of contamination and to an enormous psychological impact. Objective: The current study aimed to assess the perceived stress among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 254 healthcare professionals in the health region of Sousse from March to September 2020. Socio-demographic and professional characteristics were collected using a self-administrated questionnaire. The perceived stress level, work belongingness, resilience, and coping strategies were assessed using the PSS10 scale, the Workplace Belongingness Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and the Brief Cope questionnaire, respectively. Results: The overall mean [±standard deviation (SD)] age of the participants was 32.9 ± 8.76 years with a sex ratio (M / F) of 0.51. The assessment of perceived stress level among participants revealed a mean score of 30.69 ± 7.67 with an estimated high stress level prevalence of 22.4%. The majority of participants evinced a moderate stress level (59.5%) followed by a high stress level (22.4%). Women and health professionals with a parent in charge have higher level of perceived stress. On the other hand, perceived stress was significantly lower among healthcare professionals working in COVID units than those not working in COVID units, with p <10-3. The multivariate analysis revealed that working in a COVID circuit, resilience, work belongingness, problem-focused coping strategies and avoidance strategies were factors associated with perceived stress among healthcare professionals. Conclusion: Based on these results, the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare professionals is undeniable. However, working by personal choice in COVID units, work belongingness, resilience and problem-focused coping strategies appeared to be protective factors.