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BACKGROUND: Pharmacists play a crucial role in the COVID-19 pandemic scenario, performing frontline roles for the community, and supporting the healthcare system. This study aimed at investigating stress and its correlates among this category of workers at a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: The participants for this study were employees of the "Municipal Pharmaceutical Company" of L'Aquila (Italy). Data were collected using an anonymous, web-based, self-administered questionnaire. Two independent surveys were conducted, from June to July 2020, and in January 2021. RESULTS: Two separate groups of respondents were involved: a total of 37 workers participated in the first survey (mean age 44.9 ± 10.7, 75.7% women) and 18 in the second survey (mean age 45.9 ± 9.2, 94.4% women). The average total scores of the perceived stress (GHQ-12 score) increased significantly from 15.5 to 18.2 (p = 0.0438), showing a moderate level of stress in the category investigated. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a strong emotional exhaustion in the study sample of pharmacists, who reported high-risk perceptions and fear. A comprehensive assistance should be granted to support the well-being of healthcare workers who provide an essential service, despite the high risk of infection.

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This dataset was compiled to estimate the levels of thermal comfort and mental health in a sample group of university students confined due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time research was carried out, these students of a hot and humid region of Mexico, had already spent 200 days on distance learning using online platforms. A total of 324 records were documented with a final sample of 316 valid participants. The total records were collected directly from the students through a web platform (Microsoft forms). This data set can be used to generate correlations between mental health, thermal comfort, and individual characteristics in the study population that will allow to identify the influence of the built environment and local climate on the levels of stress and anxiety that university students experienced under confinement. It can also be used to issue recommendations to improve the quality of built spaces and for the construction of adaptive models of thermal comfort considering mental health as a study variable.

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Introdução: o estilo de vida pode ser compreendido como uma forma cultural e social de viver, corresponde às ações cotidianas dos indivíduos, quando ativo e saudável pode prevenir doenças e suas complicações. É de suma importância que as condições de trabalho proporcionem bem-estar e realização profissional, no entanto, o que acontece na escola é o desgaste do docente devido às exaustivas jornadas de trabalho e a outros fatores. Objetivo: esse trabalho analisou impacto do estilo de vida sobre o estresse percebido de professores hipertensos e normotensos de escolas públicas de Altamira-PA. Método: foi aplicado em 28 escolas públicas do município de Altamira e contou com 164 participantes. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio dos questionários sobre saúde auto referida, o IPAQ e a escala de estresse percebido (PSS-10) e analisados através da estatística descritiva e inferencial. Resultados e discussão: a idade foi identificada como fator de risco para hipertensão arterial sistêmica (p = 0,000); professores fisicamente ativos apresentaram menor nível de estresse (p = 0,041); quanto ao nível de estresse em professores hipertensos fisicamente ativos e sedentários, mostrou o menor nível de estresse também para os fisicamente ativos (p=0,025). Conclusão: os dados apresentados evidenciaram que o estilo de vida ativo é capaz de promover impacto positivo sobre o estresse percebido tanto em professores hipertensos como normotensos.

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Introduction: lifestyle can be understood as a cultural and social way of living, it corresponds to the daily actions of individuals, when active and healthy can prevent diseases and their complications. It is of the utmost importance that working conditions provide well-being and professional achievement; however, what happens at school is the teacher's wear and tear due to the exhaustive working hours among other factors. Objective: this study analyzed the impact of the lifestyle on the perceived stress of hypertensive and normotensive teachers of public schools in Altamira-PA. Method: it was applied in 28 public schools in the city of Altamira with 164 participants. Data collection was made through self-reported health questionnaires, IPAQ and perceived stress scale (PSS-10) and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Results and discussion: age was identified as a risk factor for systemic arterial hypertension (p = 0.000); physically active teachers presented a lower level of stress (p = 0.041); the level of stress in physically active and sedentary hypertensive teachers showed the lowest level of stress also for the physically active (p = 0.025). Conclusion: the data presented evidenced that the active lifestyle can promote positive impact on perceived stress in both hypertensive and normotensive teachers.

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Docentes , Hipertensión , Estilo de Vida

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Positive occupational health psychology (POHP) examines the mechanisms that promote the health and wellbeing of workers, in addition to the risk factors arising from work activity. The aim of this study was to analyse the mediating role of perceived stress in the effect that self-efficacy has on engagement in nurses. The sample was comprised of 1777 currently working nurses. We administered the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), the Perceived Stress Questionnaire and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Following bivariate correlational analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and simple and multiple mediation analysis, the results showed self-efficacy to be a powerful personal resource that positively predicts employee engagement, although the effect diminishes when there are mediating variables of stress. We found differences in the way the different aspects of stress mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and the engagement dimensions. "Energy⁻joy" was the strongest mediating variable for all of the engagement dimensions and this, together with "harassment⁻social acceptance" dampened the effect of self-efficacy on vigour and dedication, whereas "Overload" was only a mediator for dedication. As nurses work in a stressful environment, risk factors arise from work activity, so hospital management should design interventions to enhance their workers' personal resources and improve personal and organizational wellbeing.

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BACKGROUND: It is of debate whether or not childhood anxiety disorders (AD) can be captured by one taxonomic construct. This study examined whether perceived arousal (PA), autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis measures can distinguish children with different primary diagnoses of clinical anxiety disorders (AD) from each other, and from a general population reference group (GP). METHODS: The study sample consisted of 152 AD children (comparing separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia and specific phobia), aged 8- to 12-years, and 200 same-aged reference children. HPA-axis functioning was measured by a diurnal cortisol profile. ANS functioning was measured by continuous measures of skin conductance level in rest and during a mental arithmetic task and high frequency heart rate variability in rest. PA was assessed by a questionnaire. RESULTS: The AD sample showed lower high frequency heart rate variability during rest, heightened anticipatory PA, higher basal and reactive skin conductance levels and lower basal HPA-axis functioning compared to the GP sample. The existence of three or more clinical disorders, i.e. a high clinical 'load', was associated with lower basal HPA-axis functioning, higher skin conductance level and lower posttest PA. Specific phobia could be discerned from social phobia and separation anxiety disorder on higher skin conductance level. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that children with AD have specific psychophysiological characteristics, which resemble the psychophysiological characteristics of chronic stress. A high clinical 'load' is associated with an altered ANS and HPA-axis functioning. Overall, ANS and HPA-axis functioning relate to AD in general, accept for specific phobia.

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Trastornos de Ansiedad/diagnóstico , Sistema Nervioso Autónomo/fisiopatología , Sistema Hipotálamo-Hipofisario/fisiopatología , Sistema Hipófiso-Suprarrenal/fisiopatología , Estrés Psicológico/fisiopatología , Trastornos de Ansiedad/fisiopatología , Niño , Ritmo Circadiano/fisiología , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Femenino , Humanos , Hidrocortisona/análisis , Masculino , Saliva/química , Encuestas y Cuestionarios

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Stress has a negative effect on student nurses well-being and can impede learning or motivate them and is conducive to learning. This study examined the perceived stress and factors that influenced daily students’ life among both the Diploma and Bachelor of Nursing students. A total of 241 nursing students were involved in this research project. Findings of this study indicated that junior nursing students (<21 years) of both cohorts perceived significantly more stress than older (≥21 years) nursing students. Second year students of the Diploma group claimed being more stressed than their peers (1st and 3rd years). Personal problems were the main issue of concern among the second year Diploma students. Workload of nursing education and fear of failing the nursing programme were the major stressors among the first year nursing students of the Bachelor cohort as compared to their seniors. A mixture of negatively and positively significant correlations was observed between academic work and clinical scores among the Diploma and Bachelor of Nursing students respectively. Both the Diploma and Bachelor of Nursing students’ stress did not influence their GPA scores. Negatively significant correlation was noted between stress and clinical scores among the Diploma of Nursing students. A negatively significant correlation was found between age and CGPA scores among the Bachelor cohort. Both male and female Diploma and Bachelor nursing students perceived no differences in stress related to their academic work. The findings of this study provide important information for nursing education at the institute examined in this study, and have implications for future research.