Predictors of somatic symptom burden in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an 8-week follow-up study

BACKGROUND: Literature investigating the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare professionals barely addresses predictors of somatic symptom burden during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIMS: As biopsychosocial models propose that not only the disease but also sociodemographic and psychosocial factors contribute to the development and maintenance of symptoms, this study investigates the predictive value of these factors for bothersome somatic symptoms in SARS-CoV-2 negative healthcare professionals.

METHODS: German healthcare professionals were assessed with self-rating questionnaires and underwent SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody tests at baseline and 8 weeks later between April and August 2020. Differences in psychosocial variables between the time points were analyzed and regression analyses were performed to predict somatic symptoms at follow-up.

RESULTS: 1185 seronegative healthcare professionals completed both assessments. Previous somatic symptom burden, higher levels of anxiety, being a nurse, younger age, higher psychological symptom burden, lower efficiency, and higher fatigability at baseline predicted somatic symptom burden at follow-up. Comparisons between baseline and follow-up showed a significant improvement in psychological impairment and deterioration of physical exhaustion.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study applies a biopsychosocial perspective to bothersome somatic symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and contributes to the identification of potential risk factors as a starting point for future interventions that could support the handling of symptoms.