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Physiological and Perceived Stress, Anxiety, Depression and Burnout Among ICU Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic in
Henrik Andersson1, Tomas Faresjö2, Helén Didriksson1
1Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Purpose:
To measure chronic, physiological stress using hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) among ICU staff working during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden, and to evaluate its relationship with perceived stress (PS), anxiety, and depression, and burnout.
Materials And Methods:
HCC was measured in hair samples of 274 individuals. We tested for differences between females versus males, nurses versus non-nursing, and ordinary versus deployed staff. PS, anxiety, depression, and burnout were measured using validated questionnaires.
Results:
Median HCC was 32.6 pg/mg [IQR 21.3-62.3] reflecting physiological stress over 3 months. There were no differences due to sex, profession, and deployment status. Anxiety was detected in 19% and depression in 4% of participants. PS score (23.5 [18.25-29.0]) was higher than previously reported normative data. Burnout was driven by low personal accomplishment. No correlations were found between HCC and PS, anxiety, depression, and burnout.
Conclusions:
Chronic, physiological stress measured as HCC was not different due to sex, profession or deployment status. Anxiety and burnout were frequent and depression was reported by a minority. HCC did not correlate with PS, anxiety, depression or burnout.
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