Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder experienced by emergency room nurses during the COVID-19 emergency detected through the 'Screening Questionnaire for Disaster Mental Health (SQD)', a survey conducted in a Local Health Service in Northern Italy

Introduction: Nurses are at high risk of developing a psychiatric disorder as a result of exposure to stressful and/or traumatic events experienced in the workplace. Specifically, they may develop long-term depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed nurses to stressful working conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mental and physical stress on nurses who provided assistance in the Emergency Room (ER) of Piacenza Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A sample of 43 nurses working in the ER from 8 March to 3 May 2020 was enrolled. Each nurse was asked to fill in a form containing socio-demographic data and the "Screening Questionnaire for Disaster Mental Health" (SQD). The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Area Vasta Emilia Nord. Results: The SQD-D sub-scale results showed that 38 out of 43 nurses (88%) had “less likely to be depressed” and the remaining 5 (12%) had “more likely to be depressed”. Regarding the likelihood of developing PTSD, SQD-P sub-scale results, 29 nurses (67%) little possibility to be affected, 8 nurses (19%) classify themselves as moderately affected, and finally 6 nurses present as severely affected. The Cronbach's alpha for the scale was 0.80, for the SQD-P was 0.73 and for the SQD-D it was 0.68. The correlations between age and SQD and between years of service and SQD were not statistically significant. Conclusions: The study showed that some nurses are at high risk of developing depression or PTSD in stressful work situations such as those caused by COVID-19. These data can be used to suggest preventive measures such as psychological support.