Medizinische Universität Graz Austria/Österreich - Forschungsportal - Medical University of Graz
Gewählte Publikation:
Woehler, P.
Messung von COVID-19 bedingtem Stress bei medizinischem Personal
Humanmedizin; [ Diplomarbeit ] Medizinische Universität Graz; 2022. pp. 84
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- Autor*innen der Med Uni Graz:
- Betreuer*innen:
- Goswami Nandu
- Rössler Andreas
- Altmetrics:
- Abstract:
- Introduction: In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Austrian population and in particular the clinical personnel were confronted with several novel stressors in the period from March 16 to May 1, 2020 (1). To quantify this stress, hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and hair testosterone concentration (HTC) of medical personnel were measured in this study. Methods: In the period from June 18 to August 15, 2020, hair samples were collected in Graz and the immediate surrounding area from a total of 396 subjects, 67 of whom were examined in this study. Hair samples were washed, dried and weighed before extracting the hormones using acetone and methanol. An ELISA followed by spectrophotometry were performed. For statistical analysis, an ANCOVA was performed in each case and other factors influencing HCC and HTC were examined using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Mean HCC increased from 13.698 ng/mg at month one to 20.436 ng/mg at month five (49.19% increase). The significance of the increase in HCC was confirmed by an ANCOVA (F(1, 190) = 3.538, p=.012, η2=.059), with month four and five differing from the other months (p<.001). Mean HTC increased slightly from 0.988 pg/mg at month one to 1.031 pg/mg at month five (4.35% increase), a significant increase was confirmed by an ANCOVA (F(1, 190) = 3.656, p=0.22, η2=0.061), with month five differing from the other months (p<0.5). Among the other influencing factors, living situation, shift work, and the occurrence of dramatic life events showed an influence on the hormone concentrations. Conclusion: The results suggest an increased stress level of Austrian medical personnel as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the political measures. In this context, HCC seems to be well suited as a biological stress marker, whereas HTC showed only minimal changes.