Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on ICU nurses' mental health. An Italian multicenter study

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate variations in ICU nurses ' mental health status over the COVID-19 outbreak by quantifying the extent of symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD over time.

METHODS: This study was an Italian multicenter prospective cohort study assessing caseness of anxiety, depression and PTSD at 6 and 12 months from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.

RESULTS: A total of 359 nurses, 233 (64.9%) were males and 126 (35.1%) were females were enrolled. At 6 months the caseness prevalence for anxiety, depression and PTSD were 31.3%, 32.1% and 18.7% respectively. At 12 months the caseness prevalence for anxiety, depression and PTSD were 34.8%, 36.4% and 24.1 % respectively. No statistically significant increase between 6 and 12 months was recorded for the caseness prevalence anxiety (p= .29) and depression (p= .19). However, an increase for the caseness prevalence PTSD at 12 months was observed (p= .049). The significant risk factors for the 221 patients with at least one disorders were age 31-40 (RR= 1.44, IC= 1.25-1.89; p < .001), female gender (RR= 1.31, IC= 1.02-1.51; p=. 042) and had 0-5 years of professional experience (RR= 1.36, IC= 1.02-1.63; p = .031).

The results of our study may provide support for the implementation of some interventions for well-being in COVID-19 outbreak condition.