The emotional state of young medical workers involved in medical care for COVID-19 patients

Relevance . Few studies have identified changes in the social wellbeing of the youth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective is to assess the emotional status of young medical workers involved in medical care during COVID-19. Methods . The study was carried out in spring 2024 in the format of an online survey. The responses were assessed using a scale specifically developed for the survey to assess respondent’s emotional state as ‘favorable’, ‘unfavorable’, or ‘average’. 135 male and 164 female medical workers were interviewed. The respondents’ age ranged from 20 to 35 years, allowing to consider them representing the youth as a social group. Their work experience in providing medical care to COVID-19 patients ranged from 6 to 24 months or more. Statistica 10.0 software package was used for statistical data processing. Results and discussion. Among the interviewed young medical workers, 20.0 % (95 % CI 15.5–24.8) assessed their emotional state as ‘unfavorable’ and 18.4 % (95 % CI 14.1–22.7) as ‘favorable’. Medical workers with 12 to 24 or more months of experience in providing medical care to COVID-19 patients were significantly less likely (p ≤ 0.05) to refer to their emotional state as ‘favorable’ and significantly more likely (p ≤ 0.05) to report anxiety, the need for non-stop motion, and inability to stand still or stay seated in one place. The group of medical workers reporting ‘unfavorable’ emotional state included 54.7 % (95 % CI 49.1–60.3) contested that before starting the job in COVID-19 departments, they had only been instructed, interviewed by the management, and trained right on the job. Meanwhile, ‘favorable’ emotional state was associated with prior training throughout CME cycles. This group of young medical workers also reported practicing one of two preventive strategies, i.e either a combination of sports, adequate physical activity, and “healthy eating” or sport, adequate physical activity, and sleep schedule, thus showing the respondents’ commitment to healthy lifestyles. Conclusion . In in young medical workers, providing medical care to COVID-19 patients is accompanied by deteriorated emotional state. This process can intensify with increasing work experience. Lack of training throughout CME cycles prior to work is an unfavorable factor. Adherence to healthy lifestyles is the most common strategy among young healthcare workers to prevent adverse emotional states.