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Valeria Giostra is a Psychologist and collaborator of the Center for Research and Education in Forensic Psychology at the University of Urbino. Her research is focused on forensic psychology (sexual abuse, trauma, witness, suggestibility, parental stress), and social psychology (burnout, resilience, and stress in emergency and health care workers).
Working as healthcare workers (HCWs) and emergency workers (EWs) during the first wave of COVID-19 has been associated with high levels of stress and burnout, while hardiness, coping strategies and resilience have emerged as protective factors. No studies have so far investigated these psychological factors during the second wave. We aimed to verify the trend of stress levels, burnout, coping strategies and resilience during the pandemic in Italian healthcare and emergency workers by comparing a first sample recruited from the first COVID-19 wave (N = 240) with a second sample relating to the second wave (N = 260). Through an online platform we administered questionnaires to measure stress, burnout, resilience, hardiness and coping strategies. The results showed that in the two waves the total stress levels of HCWs and EWs did not differ, while the physical stress and hardiness scores in the second wave were greater. No differences were found in the coping strategies used. An analysis of burnout levels in the second wave sample found that stress showed a high predictive power in the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scales. Hardiness and resilience emerged as protective factors in reducing stress. The implications for the need to provide support and to improve hardiness for HCWs and EWs are discussed.
Monia Vagni; Tiziana Maiorano; Valeria Giostra; Daniela Pajardi. Protective Factors against Emergency Stress and Burnout in Healthcare and Emergency Workers during Second Wave of COVID-19. Social Sciences 2021, 10, 178 .
AMA StyleMonia Vagni, Tiziana Maiorano, Valeria Giostra, Daniela Pajardi. Protective Factors against Emergency Stress and Burnout in Healthcare and Emergency Workers during Second Wave of COVID-19. Social Sciences. 2021; 10 (5):178.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonia Vagni; Tiziana Maiorano; Valeria Giostra; Daniela Pajardi. 2021. "Protective Factors against Emergency Stress and Burnout in Healthcare and Emergency Workers during Second Wave of COVID-19." Social Sciences 10, no. 5: 178.
Being a victim of abuse in childhood can lead to the development of trauma-related psychopathology, which could affect the testimony of the child victim. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a factor that can increase both the levels of suggestibility and the production of memory errors, such as confabulations, which can be identified in distortions and fabrications. No studies have analyzed the relationship between suggestibility, fabrications, distortions, and PTSD on samples of children and adolescents suspected of being sexually abused. This study aims to verify in a sample of 221 sexually abused children and adolescents the effect of PTSD, measured by Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children, in increasing the levels of immediate and delayed suggestibility and the production of fabrications and distortions in immediate and delayed memory tasks, obtained by Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 2, controlling age and non-verbal intelligence. Our results show that PTSD increases the levels of immediate and delayed suggestibility, but it has no effect on memory recall in immediate recall tasks. Moreover, PTSD leads to a greater number of distorted and fabricated information inserted in delayed memory. Forensic implications of PTSD consequences on memory tasks and suggestibility levels of sexually abused children are discussed.
Monia Vagni; Tiziana Maiorano; Valeria Giostra. The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children. Social Sciences 2021, 10, 37 .
AMA StyleMonia Vagni, Tiziana Maiorano, Valeria Giostra. The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children. Social Sciences. 2021; 10 (2):37.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonia Vagni; Tiziana Maiorano; Valeria Giostra. 2021. "The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children." Social Sciences 10, no. 2: 37.
During the severe phase of the pandemic, COVID-19 emergency workers were engaged in long and numerous shifts of duty, resulting in exposure to various stress factors. A high stress level is associated with risk of burnout. Resilience and personal accomplishment can effectively help mitigate and reduce emergency stress levels and emotional exhaustion. The main aim of this study was to analyze the relationship of emergency stress and hardiness with burnout among emergency workers. The participants included 494 emergency volunteers from the Red Cross Committee in Veneto, Italy, engaged in various health, emergency, and social activities aimed at COVID-19 patients and people at risk of contracting the virus. Questionnaires used to measure emergency stress, hardiness and burnout were administered on an online platform. We analyzed the influence of age, sex, weekly hours of service, stress risk factors, and use of personal protective equipment. To verify the predictive effects of risk and protective factors on burnout, correlational and multivariate analyses, and regressions were conducted. Hardiness showed an effect in reducing emergency stress levels, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization and simultaneously increased personal accomplishment.
Monia Vagni; Valeria Giostra; Tiziana Maiorano; Giuliano Santaniello; Daniela Pajardi. Personal Accomplishment and Hardiness in Reducing Emergency Stress and Burnout among COVID-19 Emergency Workers. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9071 .
AMA StyleMonia Vagni, Valeria Giostra, Tiziana Maiorano, Giuliano Santaniello, Daniela Pajardi. Personal Accomplishment and Hardiness in Reducing Emergency Stress and Burnout among COVID-19 Emergency Workers. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (21):9071.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonia Vagni; Valeria Giostra; Tiziana Maiorano; Giuliano Santaniello; Daniela Pajardi. 2020. "Personal Accomplishment and Hardiness in Reducing Emergency Stress and Burnout among COVID-19 Emergency Workers." Sustainability 12, no. 21: 9071.
The COVID-19 crisis has placed a heavy burden on medical staff and emergency workers, who may be at risk of developing psychological distress and secondary trauma. Coping and resilience to stress during a pandemic are protective factors that can mitigate the potential adverse psychological effects. Here, we investigated the direct and mediated effects of coping strategies and hardiness on secondary trauma among Italian medical staff (physicians and nurses, n = 140) and emergency workers (firefighters, civil protection, and ambulance personnel, n = 100) involved in the first phase of the pandemic. For this purpose, we collected data from participants through online questionnaires to measure emergency stress, coping strategies, hardiness, and secondary trauma. Other variables analyzed were age, sex, direct contact with COVID-19 patients, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). We performed a correlational analysis, regressions, and a mediation analysis. The results show that nurses and physicians experienced higher levels of emergency stress than emergency workers. Direct contact with COVID-19 patients, female sex, unexpected events, and lack of PPE were risk factors for emergency stress, while resilience and coping strategies played a protective role. Mediation analysis shows that coping strategies and hardiness are protective factors and reduce the effect of stress on secondary trauma.
Tiziana Maiorano; Monia Vagni; Valeria Giostra; Daniela Pajardi. COVID-19: Risk Factors and Protective Role of Resilience and Coping Strategies for Emergency Stress and Secondary Trauma in Medical Staff and Emergency Workers—An Online-Based Inquiry. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9004 .
AMA StyleTiziana Maiorano, Monia Vagni, Valeria Giostra, Daniela Pajardi. COVID-19: Risk Factors and Protective Role of Resilience and Coping Strategies for Emergency Stress and Secondary Trauma in Medical Staff and Emergency Workers—An Online-Based Inquiry. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (21):9004.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTiziana Maiorano; Monia Vagni; Valeria Giostra; Daniela Pajardi. 2020. "COVID-19: Risk Factors and Protective Role of Resilience and Coping Strategies for Emergency Stress and Secondary Trauma in Medical Staff and Emergency Workers—An Online-Based Inquiry." Sustainability 12, no. 21: 9004.
The work environment of emergency workers is an important factor related to stress. Coping with the COVID-19 emergency is a factor that is highly related to stress, and severe stress is a risk factor for developing secondary trauma. Coping and resilience can help rescue workers to better respond in emergency situations and could protect them from secondary trauma. We aimed to explore the relationship of emergency stress, hardiness, coping strategies, and secondary trauma among emergency workers and the mediating roles of coping strategies and hardiness on the effect of stress in producing secondary trauma. The study involved 513 emergency workers from the Red Cross Committee in Veneto, one of the Italian regions most affected by the COVID-19. Participants completed questionnaires online to measure emergency stress (physical, emotional, cognitive, organizational‒relational, COVID-19, and inefficacy decisional), hardiness, coping strategies, and secondary trauma. Other variables analyzed were age, gender, weekly hours of service, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). We performed t-tests, a correlational analysis, regressions, and a mediation analysis. Hardiness and coping strategies, in particular, which stop unpleasant emotions and thoughts and problem-focused, emerged as mediators in reducing the predicted effect of stress on secondary trauma. The mediating effects of hardiness and coping strategies were found to reduce the effect of stress on arousal by 15% and the effect on avoidance by 25%.
Monia Vagni; Tiziana Maiorano; Valeria Giostra; Daniela Pajardi. Hardiness and Coping Strategies as Mediators of Stress and Secondary Trauma in Emergency Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7561 .
AMA StyleMonia Vagni, Tiziana Maiorano, Valeria Giostra, Daniela Pajardi. Hardiness and Coping Strategies as Mediators of Stress and Secondary Trauma in Emergency Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (18):7561.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonia Vagni; Tiziana Maiorano; Valeria Giostra; Daniela Pajardi. 2020. "Hardiness and Coping Strategies as Mediators of Stress and Secondary Trauma in Emergency Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic." Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7561.
Emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic can lead healthcare and emergency workers to undergo severe stress reactions that increase the risk of developing secondary trauma. Hardiness is a protective factor that reduces the likelihood of negative outcomes such as secondary trauma. In this study, we analyzed the responses to physical, emotional, cognitive, organizational‒relational and COVID-19 stress of 140 healthcare and 96 emergency workers. Decision-making difficulties due to high uncertainty and the fear of contracting the virus and infecting others were also considered. We aimed to detect which stressors caused secondary trauma and to assess the protective power of hardiness. Participants completed the questionnaire online measuring stress, secondary trauma and resilience. We performed a t-test, correlational analysis and hierarchical regression. The healthcare workers had higher levels of stress and arousal than the emergency workers group and those involved in the treatment of COVID-19 were exposed to a large degree of stress and were at high risk of developing secondary trauma. Commitment is associated with high levels of stress, arousal and intrusion, while control shows a protective function. Stress and hardiness result in 37% and 17% of the variance of arousal and intrusion, respectively.
Monia Vagni; Tiziana Maiorano; Valeria Giostra; Daniela Pajardi. Hardiness, Stress and Secondary Trauma in Italian Healthcare and Emergency Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5592 .
AMA StyleMonia Vagni, Tiziana Maiorano, Valeria Giostra, Daniela Pajardi. Hardiness, Stress and Secondary Trauma in Italian Healthcare and Emergency Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (14):5592.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonia Vagni; Tiziana Maiorano; Valeria Giostra; Daniela Pajardi. 2020. "Hardiness, Stress and Secondary Trauma in Italian Healthcare and Emergency Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic." Sustainability 12, no. 14: 5592.