Fear of COVID-19, emotional exhaustion, and care quality experience in nursing home staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. (September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Altintas, Emin; Boudoukha, Abdel-Halim; Karaca, Yasemin; Lizio, Andréa; Luyat, Marion; Gallouj, Karim; El Haj, Mohamad
• Is Part Of: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics. Volume 102(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-09
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- Care quality perception -- Emotional exhaustion -- Workplace -- Nursing homes; Aging -- Periodicals; Geriatrics -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 305.26
• DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2022.104745
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0167-4943

Abstract

Highlights: COVID-19 pandemic context contributes to increase EE to over 30% of nursing home staff. COVID-19 pandemic context measured with the fear of COVID-19 and care quality perception in health workers is associated with an increase in EE and a decrease in care quality perception in health workers. Effect of the fear of the COVID-19 on the care quality experience in health workers is totally mediated by EE. Short-time specific prevention interventions against EE are needed to develop coping strategies and programs to support health workers in nursing homes. Abstract: Background: Nursing home staff have been adversely impacted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, facing difficulties in providing patient care. The aim of this study was to explore health workers' perception regarding their own care quality experience in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the second wave of the pandemic, we investigated the relationships between fear of COVID-19 and care quality experiences in nursing homes with emotional exhaustion (EE) as a mediating role. We hypothesized that EE is associated with fear of COVID-19 and care quality experience among nursing home staff. Furthermore, we predicted that EE would mediate the relationships between fear of COVID-19 and care quality experience. Methods: During the second wave of COVID-19 (October to December 2020), we administered surveys to a large sample of 129 French nursing home staff with a mean age of 38.47 ± 10.31 who were directly and repeatedly exposed to COVID-19. We assessed their emotional exhaustion (EE) and care quality experience in the workplace via subjective indicators using self-reported scales. Results: In the context of COVID-19, low to severe emotional exhaustion levels were found among nursing home staff, and these levels were associated with care quality experience as well as fear of COVID-19. The groups with low and severe levels of EE reported the highest levels of fear of COVID-19. The groups with moderate and severe levels of EE reported the lowest levels of care quality experience. Lastly, the relationships between fear of COVID-19 and care quality experience were mediated by EE. Conclusions: The findings made by the present study focused on the role of emotional coping responses to COVID-19. EE was associated positively with fear of COVID-19 and negatively with care quality experience. Furthermore, EE was found to mediate the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and care quality experience. We discuss these findings as they relate to palliative care issues in nursing homes and the manner in which emotional exhaustion ought to be addressed among nursing home staff.