Psychodynamic analysis of healthcare staff behavior in COVID-19 units
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study addresses the psychological and behavioral responses of healthcare personnel working in high-intensity clinical environments during a global health crisis. Although existing literature documents elevated stress among frontline professionals, limited attention has been given to the dynamic evolution of emotional and behavioral patterns across successive phases of a pandemic, particularly among night shift medical staff. The objective of this study was to explore how healthcare personnel experienced, interpreted, and adapted to prolonged occupational stress over time. A retrospective qualitative design was employed, involving healthcare personnel assigned to hospital triage and patient care units. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted from the onset of the health crisis until mid-pandemic, focusing on emotional experiences and coping behaviors. The findings reveal fluctuating emotional trajectories characterized by adaptive emotional regulation in psychologically resilient individuals and anxiety depressive responses among psychologically vulnerable staff. These vulnerabilities were associated with the adoption of avoidance and compensatory behavioral strategies in the workplace. The study highlights the need for tailored psychological support systems that account for individual vulnerability and temporal changes in stress responses. Such interventions may enhance workforce resilience and improve occupational well-being during future health emergencies.
Keywords: Behavioral adaptation; emotional responses; healthcare personnel; pandemic stress; psychological vulnerability
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).