Impact of Social Support and Age on Emotional Health in ICU Professionals During the COVID Pandemic

First Author(s)

• 

  Robyn Branca, PhD,

  Assistant Professor Carson Newman University
  n/a
  Knoxville, Tennessee

  Disclosure information not submitted.

  Slides

Co-Author(s)

• PB

  Paul Branca, MD

  Clinical Associate Professor
  University of Tennessee Medical Center
  Knoxville, Tennessee

  Disclosure information not submitted.

Title: Impact of Social Support and Age on Emotional Health in ICU Professionals during the COVID Pandemic

Introduction/Hypothesis: In the general population during non-pandemic times, both older age and viable social support are buffers for psychological illness. During the pandemic, however, there is concern that risks to vulnerable populations would alter these usual buffers. We hypothesized that critical care professionals who were older or who had young children would have higher scores on measures of depression, anxiety, and somatization.

Methods: On April 7, 2020, an email survey was sent to the members of SCCM with a reminder email one week later to those who didn’t respond. Collected information included demographic data, perception of caseload and course of the pandemic, and responses to psychological instruments assessing depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and symptom somatization (PHQ-15).

Results: Contrary to our hypotheses, ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc analysis of the 939 responses showed a significantly (p< 0.001) and progressively lower score on PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PHQ-15 as age ranges increased. T-test showed that those respondents with children had significantly lower scores on PHQ-9, PHQ-15 (p< 0.001), and GAD-7 (p=0.003) than those with no children. Of those respondents with children, the subgroup with children under age 5 had higher PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PHQ-15 scores than those with children in any other age group (ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc analyses, p< 0.001.) T-testing also showed that married respondents had significantly lower scores on PHQ-9, PHQ-15 (p< 0.001), and GAD-7 (p=0.003) than unmarried respondents.

Discussion: During a time of severe pandemic uncertainty (April 2020) a snapshot survey of critical care workers showed that younger respondents, those without children, and unmarred respondents had significantly more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization. Those with children under age 5 had higher scores on all 3 measures than those with children in any other age group. The typical improved psychological health with aging was not mitigated by fear of infection risks. Social support structures appeared to buffer pandemic stress.