Features of maladaptive forms and guilt types in medical workers over the post-COVID period

Introduction. The performance of professional duties in stressful conditions leads to the emergence of low-adaptive forms of guilt in medical workers.

Purpose of the study is to identify the features of low-adaptive forms and guilt types in medical workers in the post-COVID period.

Material and methods. Eight hundred sixteen selected medical workers with pronounced maladaptive forms and guilt types participated in the study using questionnaires for measuring maladaptive forms and guilt types.

Results. Above average levels of guilt of comprehensive responsibility, survivor’s guilt, low-adaptive forms of guilt in general, moral norms were revealed. The average level of guilt in general, the guilt of self-hated, the guilt of separation, the guilt of the state, the guilt of the trait. There was established a high correlation between moral norms and the guilt of the survivor, the guilt of comprehensive responsibility and the general indicator of low-adaptive forms of guilt; noticeable connection: guilt of comprehensive responsibility and guilt-state, guilt-feature and general indicator of guilt; survivor’s guilt, guilt-feature and overall guilt score.

Limitations. The results of the study cannot be extrapolated to the professional profiles of all medical workers, since forms and types of guilt may be associated with other symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Conclusion. The results of the study will allow healthcare managersorganizers to systematically monitor stressful working conditions in order to prevent and level them, as well as to implement the prevention of low-adaptive forms and types of guilt in medical workers to maintain and strengthen their professional health.

Compliance with ethical standards. Voluntary informed consent of the diagnostic participants was obtained (only adult respondents voluntarily participated in the survey, which is necessary and sufficient; the study was organized and conducted in accordance with the Code of Ethics on 14.02. responsibility, honesty).

Contribution of the authors:
Polyakova O.B. — concept and design of the study, collection and processing of material, writing text, compiling a list of references, statistical data processing;
Bonkalo T.I. — organization of research, scientific supervision, editing.
All authors — approval of the final version of the article, responsibility for the integrity of all parts of the article.

Acknowledgment. The study had no sponsorship.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: June 22, 2023
Accepted: August 23, 2023
Published: November 3, 2023