Healthcare workers’ stress, burnout, and job dissatisfaction were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, whose mid-term negative effects are still present. The aim of this work was to consider the effects of burnout (psychophysical exhaustion, relational deterioration, and professional inefficacy) on the career satisfaction of healthcare workers. These relationships were evaluated by considering the direct and mediated effects of disillusion. For these purposes, the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) and the Career Satisfaction Scale (Occupational Stress Indicator—OSI) were administered to 295 healthcare professionals working at three Italian public hospitals in Cagliari, Italy. The analyses were conducted using the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) method. Outcomes highlighted that healthcare workers were in a condition of work distress, high risk of burnout, and career dissatisfaction. Also recognized was the direct negative effect of burnout dimensions on career satisfaction. Finally, the mediated negative effect of disillusion in the relationship between burnout and career satisfaction was identified. This study underlines the relevance of the dimension of disillusion, and its “bright side” fulfilment, in healthcare workers, specifically referring to the disregarded relationship between burnout and career satisfaction.

The present study aimed to evaluate the multivariate relationships between variables related to burnout and job stress in healthcare workers, evaluating whether the relationships between these dimensions, the variables related to personal factors (age, seniority of service), and work–family balance factors (overwork related to unused vacation days and accumulated overtime hours) change when the worker is engaged in double-caregiving activities. Indeed, the twofold activities of home caregiving and caring at work might expose workers to challenging situations. To accomplish our aim, we carried out network analyses on data from 466 workers (77.90% females). Participants completed the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) and the Job Satisfaction Scale (OSI). Contrary to expectations, the variables related to work–life balance played a marginal role with respect to job satisfaction and burnout risk for the whole sample. In addition, no significant differences emerged between workers who reported dual-caregiving tasks compared with those who did not. However, some peculiar aspects of the relationship between burnout and job satisfaction emerged in the two subsamples. The results enable an understanding of the interactions among the assessed variables and allow hypothesizing interventions for the sustainability of the work–life balance in healthcare workers with dual-care tasks.

Long-term unemployment has major consequences from an economic, physical and psychosocial perspective. Several authors have pointed out that the search for employment is in itself work, which can generate feelings of exhaustion of psychophysical energies, cynicism and disinvestment, as well as a sense of ineffectiveness to the point of complete disillusion. The construct of burnout can be used to describe this psychological process. This study evaluated the burnout and engagement dimensions in individuals searching for work for a long time, from a qualitative perspective. Fifty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of long-term unemployed job seekers (Sardinia, Italy), based on Maslach’s model of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, effectiveness in job search). The answers to the semi-structured interviews were processed through T-Lab, a semi-automatic textual analysis software. Four thematic cores emerged: exhaustion vs. engagement, cynicism vs. trust, inefficacy vs. efficacy in job search and disillusion vs. hope. This result is consistent with the four-dimensional theoretical model of burnout, originally proposed by Edelwich and Brodsky, recently taken up by Santinello, and framed as the opposite of engagement, as shown in the JD-R model. This study highlights that burnout can describe the psychosocial experiences of long-term unemployed job seekers.

Background: The disruption of social rhythms was found to be associated with depressive disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic; lower rates of these disorders were surprisingly found in old adults. The present study aims to verify the stability of social rhythms during lockdown in a sample of elderly people. Methods: Controlled cohort study (secondary analyses) of a previous randomized-controlled trial with the first evaluation in April 2019 (T0) and then 48 weeks later (T1) during the lockdown. The regulation of social and behavioral rhythms was measured through the Brief Social Rhythms Scale (BSRS); the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9) was adopted to detect relevant depressive symptoms. Results: 93 elderlies (73.36 ± 4.97 years old, 50.5% females) were evaluated at T0 and T1. Neither the total score of BSRS nor any of the 10 items showed a statistically significant difference comparing the two survey periods. The frequency of relevant depressive symptoms was 5.3% at T0 and 6.4% at T1 (OR = 0.8, CI95% 0.2–24). Conclusions: Among elderlies who did not show an increased risk of depression during the lockdown, social and behavioral rhythms remained exceptionally stable during the same period. Considering previous evidence about rhythms dysregulation preceding depression, their stability may be considered a factor of resilience.

Background: The objective of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of a cognitive remediation intervention on anxiety symptoms in people with bipolar disorder and the therapeutic effect on people whose anxiety symptoms were above the threshold for a screener and whose comorbidity could be identified as an anxiety disorder. Methods: The experimental intervention included 24 sessions (around 45 min each), two for each week over three months. The entire program was inspired by user-centered rehabilitation principles in a recovery-oriented perspective and an approach to bipolar disorder in an evolutionary and non-discriminating vision. The primary outcomes measure the score of the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), hypothesizing a higher decrease in the experimental group than in the control group. The survey has been conducted per the CONSORT guidelines for feasibility studies. Results: We evaluate a decrease in the overall SAS score from T0 to T1 to be higher in the experimental group compared to the control group, indicating an improvement in anxiety symptoms (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The study suggests that virtual reality could have a role in treating anxiety symptoms and disorders in young adults with bipolar disorders or anxiety symptoms in people with hyperactivity and novelty-seeking behaviorsunder stress and high risk for bipolar disorder.

Background/Objectives: Emerging laboratory technologies, such as breathomics, may enhance the early diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, including Bipolar Disorder (BD). This study investigates the detection of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in exhaled breath as potential biomarkers for BD, comparing VSC levels between individuals with BD, healthy controls, and individuals with non-pathological hyperactivity. Methods: A matched case–control study was conducted involving 24 patients with BD and 95 healthy controls recruited at the University Hospital of Cagliari. Controls were selected using a matched-pair design based on age (±5 years) and sex through a block-matching technique to ensure comparability with cases. Participants underwent psychiatric interviews, completed the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), and had their exhaled breaths analyzed for VSCs using a gas chromatograph (OralChroma™). Controls were selected and randomized for age and sex. Results: Patients with BD exhibited significantly higher levels of methyl mercaptan (CH₃SH) compared to healthy controls (18.62 ± 5.04 vs. 9.45 ± 18.64 ppb, p = 0.022). Among individuals without BD, those with positive MDQ scores showed lower levels of CH₃SH than those with negative scores (9.17 ± 5.42 vs. 15.05 ± 18.03); however, this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.254), highlighting how the deep connection between some clinical and laboratory aspects needs to be investigated more thoroughly. Conclusions: The results suggest a correlation between oral dysbiosis and metabolic alterations in patients with BD, with CH₃SH levels being higher in cases compared to controls. Further studies are needed to validate the use of VSCs as potential biomarkers for BD and to investigate their role in individuals with non-pathological hyperactivity.