Can Psychological Empowerment Prevent Emotional Disorders in Presence of Fear of COVID-19 in Health Workers? A Cross-Sectional Validation Study

The global emergency produced by COVID-19 has been a turning point for health organizations. Healthcare professionals have been exposed to high levels of stress and workload. Close contact with infected patients and the infectious capacity of COVID-19 mean that this group is especially vulnerable to contagion. In various countries, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale has been shown to be a fast and reliable tool. Early detection of fear complements clinical efforts to prevent emotional disorders. Thus, concepts focused on positive occupational health, such as Job Crafting or psychological empowerment (PE), have been examined as a tool to prevent mental health problems at work. In this work, we intended to adapt and validate the 7-item Fear of COVID-19 Scale in health workers (N = 194). The interpretation of the measurement model indicates adequate values of internal consistency reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. The overall goodness of fit of the model was also adequate. The structural model indicates that the implementation of job crafting measures in health services leads to workers' greater PE. High levels of anxiety and depression prevent health professionals from psychologically detaching from work. In turn, PE can reduce the emotional disorders caused by the fear of COVID-19.

Automated summary

The global emergency of COVID-19 has put health organizations at a turning point, with healthcare workers facing high stress and workload. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale has proven to be a reliable tool in various countries. Positive occupational health concepts such as Job Crafting can help prevent emotional disorders among health workers in the face of the pandemic.