First insights into post-pandemic distress in a high secure hospital: correlates among staff and patients

First insights into post-pandemic distress in a high secure hospital: correlates among staff and patients Yara Levtova, Irma Melunovic, Caroline Louise Mead, Jane L. Ireland The Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- This preliminary investigation aims to examine the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients and staff within a high secure service.To discern the connection between COVID-19-related distress and multiple factors, the study involved 31 patients and 34 staff who completed assessments evaluating coping strategies, resilience, emotional reactivity, ward atmosphere and work-related aspects.Results demonstrated that around a third of staff (31.2%) experienced COVID-19-related distress levels that met the clinical cut-off for possible post-traumatic stress disorder. Emotional reactivity, staff shortages, secondary traumatic stress and coping strategies were all positively correlated with COVID-19-related-distress. Resilience was negatively associated with distress, thus acting as a potential mitigating factor. In comparison, the prevalence of distress among patients was low (3.2%).The authors postulate that increased staff burdens during the pandemic may have led to long-term distress, while their efforts to maintain minimal service disruption potentially shielded patients from psychological impacts, possibly lead to staff “problem-focused coping burnout”. This highlights the need for in-depth research on the end...
Source: Journal of Forensic Practice - Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Source Type: research